Supporting information, including the statement of support

Requirements of the professional

The following information applies to both:

professionals providing the confirmation from a professional and
professionals who provide additional supporting information.

To provide supporting information, the professional or organisation providing the information should fall into one of the following categories:

have been involved in the individual’s care, treatment, or everyday life for a period that would allow them to be familiar with their needs
have carried out an assessment of the individual’s condition, disability or needs
have the professional knowledge and access to records to provide an informed opinion on the individual’s condition, disability, or needs

Professionals from the same organisation can provide supporting information, even if they have not been directly involved in that individual’s treatment or care.

They must have both:

access to records on the individual
the professional knowledge needed to understand these records

You do not need to obtain additional permission from the individual where the named contact at an organisation is not who will respond to the supporting information request.

For example, the GP who normally sees the individual and has been named on their application or review form might not be available. In this case it’s acceptable for a different GP from the same surgery to fill in the supporting information request form. This is because they have access to the individual’s medical record. It would not be acceptable for a member of staff who does not have medical training, such as a receptionist, to fill in the form.

Examples of who could provide this

This could include:

social workers
psychologists
health professionals, such as nurses, GPs, or consultants
allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, or occupational therapists
local authority staff, an assessment of need, or an individual’s care plan (such as homecare staff)
health boards, such as Fife Health Board or Lothian Health Board
paid support workers who can confirm the level of care an individual receives
third sector, private and other organisations or individuals who provide professional support to the individual

This list is applicable to professionals who work in both the public and private sector. For example, a private physio or a health care professional working for the NHS. As long as they are familiar with the individual, their condition, disability or needs in a professional capacity, professionals from the private sector can provide supporting information.

The same rules apply to professionals from the private sector as they do for professionals in the public sector in relation to who from that organisation can provide the supporting information. I.e. Another professional from the same organisation can provide supporting information provided they have the expertise to understand the individual’s condition and records. For example, another doctor at the same practice but not the receptionist.

Practitioners are not considered a professional for supporting information purposes. They cannot provide either the confirmation from a professional or additional supporting information from a professional.

Examples of supporting information from a professional

This could include:

occupational health report
treatment plans
diagnosis
appointment or referral letter
social work report
a list of medications prescribed to the individual
care assessments or a care plan
medical specialist report
the statement of support provided in the application form when completed by a professional
information documenting the physical supports put in place by a local authority, such as a stair lift, ramp, or accessible shower
supporting information request form

Deciding whether a source is from a professional

The following guidance in this section is only applicable to the confirmation from a professional.

Deciding whether a source is a professional is important when deciding whether a document can be counted as a confirmation from a professional.

To help make a decision on this, you should use the information presented in this section as well as the pages on:

Confirmation from a professional
Additional supporting information

If the definitions already provided are not enough to make a decision, you should consider if the provider of the source:

is being paid to provide a service to the individual
is qualified or trained to provide their role to the individual
has a personal relationship with the individual beyond their organisational role
is acting within a formal capacity
has specific skills or training to be able to provide support the individual
has provided clear professional documentation, for example is it on letter headed paper
can be found by their details or credentials on official registers or systems, such as the Scottish Social Services Council, the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council or another professional regulatory body
is still working in their field, for example they’re currently practising, not retired

This list is not exhaustive.

You should consider the answer to these questions and make a decision on a case by-case basis. You should also consider the examples below.

If you conclude that it is more likely than not that a piece of supporting information is not from a professional, you should consider both:

if you need to collect an alternative source as the confirmation from a professional, including how you work with the individual to source this information if needed. See the decision tree for guidance on how to establish whether confirmation is needed
if the information can be used as additional supporting information

You may conclude that a source is not a professional but does contain information regarding the individual’s disability, condition or needs relevant to the application.

You should still consider this information as part of your decision-making. The information would count as additional supporting information. It would still count as this type of supporting information regardless of if it was from a professional or the client’s wider support network.

If you want advice on how to classify a source of the confirmation from a professional, you can:

speak to your line manager
request a case discussion

A volunteer who runs a social club in the local church on Sunday afternoons and regularly supports an individual belongs to the individual’s wider support network. Information they provide would be considered additional supporting information.

A volunteer runs a social club in their local community centre and is a retired social worker. They recognise the individual’s difficulties in most social interactions and have practised strategies with them that help the individual to avoid becoming overwhelmed easily.

However, this volunteer would not be considered a professional.

This is because the capacity in which they would be considered a professional would be through their status as a retired social worker. However, as they are retired, they no longer have the credentials to act in this capacity and are not active in their field.

Their testimony is still an important source of additional supporting information from the individual’s wider support network, but case managers should seek an alternative document as confirmation from a professional, if it is needed to make a robust determination.

Part of Pension Age Disability Payment decision making guide

Requirements of the professional

Examples of who could provide this

Examples of supporting information from a professional

Deciding whether a source is from a professional

Example: A volunteer who regularly supports the individual but is not considered a professional

Example: A volunteer who regularly supports the individual and is a retired professional, but is not considered a professional for the confirmation from a professional purpose

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