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Scheduling and rescheduling a consultation
Social Security Scotland should take into account any preference a client communicates about where and how a consultation is carried out (Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, s.14( b)).
When a client applies for Adult Disability Payment, they are be able to reschedule a consultation up to 3 times within 3 months of the first consultation appointment.
If a client has already rescheduled their consultation 3 times and does not attend their 4th scheduled consultation appointment, a case manager may make a determination on the available information. However, consideration should be given to any exceptional circumstances which mean that a client can be given another scheduled appointment. Exceptional circumstances may include:
- a bereavement
- an unexpected illness or a medical emergency relating to the client or client’s relative
A consultation may be rescheduled by Social Security Scotland when necessary and this should not count as one of the 3 times a client can reschedule. Reasons Social Security Scotland may reschedule include:
- the consultation ends early because of circumstances beyond the client’s control
- there being no suitable practitioner available
- technical difficulties experienced by the client, the practitioner or someone else taking part in the consultation.
- Social Security Scotland request to reschedule the consultation because of practitioner availability.
If a client is required to attend another consultation due to issues with the first, justifications for doing so would have to be provided in line with the 2018 Act (Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, s.55), including an explanation of why it is necessary to have another consultation to gather information needed to make a determination.
During a re-determination, a client can reschedule their consultation up to 2 times.
Example: a client reschedules their consultation multiple times
Maria is 21 years old and applies for Adult Disability Payment for the first time. They have recently been diagnosed with epilepsy as a secondary symptom of a traumatic brain injury. They are invited to a telephone consultation to discuss missing information around their abilities to wash, dress and engage with others.
The supporting information shows that Maria has unpredictable seizures on a daily basis. These result in around 20 minutes of disorientation and an hour of severe fatigue. Because of these unpredictable seizures Maria’s mother has cancelled and rearranged 3 of their consultation appointments. The case has been flagged to the case manager for consideration of next steps.
The case manager determines that the cancellations are beyond Maria’s control and so agrees to rearrange the consultation a fourth time.