Qualification of Health and Social Care Practitioner: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
FOI Reference: FOI/202600515908
Date received: 16 April 2026
Date responded: 14 May 2026
Information requested
Request for information 1:
The medical qualifications of individual “specialists” that were advising the case workers.
Request for information 2:
A copy of our Disability Equality Impact Assessment.
Response
Request for information 1:
We have interpreted your request as seeking information about the relevant, professional qualifications of the health and social care practitioners who provided advice during the processing of a specified application for Adult Disability Payment.
Social Security Scotland uses published decision-making guidance to assess eligibility for our disability benefits. Where further understanding of how a reported condition may affect an individual is required, advice can be sought from in-house Health and Social Care Practitioners to support the decision-making process.
Health and Social Care Practitioners are registered professionals, such as nurses, social workers, and occupational therapists. They provide advice, within their professional scope of practice by considering the information and evidence submitted in the application or review form, alongside relevant guidance.
Social Security Scotland aims to get decisions right first time following consideration of the information provided in application or review forms.
Practitioners undertake comprehensive training which is developed and delivered with the involvement of people who have lived experience of health conditions and disabilities. This includes training on the potential impact of common health conditions. Case managers are also supported by guidance to ensure that individual circumstances are appropriately considered.
Advice is provided by a practitioner with relevant professional experience in physical health, mental health or learning disability and neurodivergent conditions, depending on the nature of the advice requested by the case manager.
Practitioners do not diagnose conditions or provide advice on treatment and are employees of Social Security Scotland.
In the instance you have requested information about, the practitioners who provided advice to the case manager in these instances were:
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A Registered Adult Nurse with professional background in general health and palliative care.
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A Registered Mental Health Nurse
Request for information 2:
A copy of our Disability Equality Impact Assessment is available on the Scottish Government website. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, and would prefer a paper copy then please contact us again and this can be arranged.
About FOI
Social Security Scotland is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. The Scottish Government also publishes responses to requests.