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Adult Disability Payment review publishes interim report

  • Area of Work: Policy and Research
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 5th November 2024

The interim report sets out initial findings, early actions that can be taken, and the themes that may be explored in the second stage.

The Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has today (5 November) published their interim report. Chaired by Edel Harris OBE, the ADP Review was established by the Scottish Government to consider the eligibility criteria for and people’s experiences of the payment.

The interim report is informed by a wide range of evidence taken by the review, including that submitted by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE). This includes a pre-review consultation on the mobility criteria (ALLIANCE response here) and an open consultation earlier this year following the start of the review (ALLIANCE response here).

Although this is not the final report, it sets out some of the initial findings of the review, some early actions that can be taken, as well as the themes that will be explored in more depth in the second stage. Amongst the early implementation actions identified in the review are:

  • An ADP-specific take up strategy and alternative routes to access the Local Delivery Service,
  • Consider a self-service portal that provides updates on applications to reduce the need for phone calls,
  • Update guidance and provide support to third sector organisations to ensure availability of information in braille, BSL, Easy Read and other accessible formats,
  • Make better use of health and social care practitioners to reduce the need for support information follow up calls to medical professionals
  • Consider enhancing communications relating to the possibility of re-determination decisions reducing the level of ADP received

A wide range of themes will be considered as part of the second stage of the review. The ALLIANCE welcome the focus on many of the themes identified, including the tension between a rights-based social security system and the medicalised, deficits-based approach arising from mirroring the Personal Independent Payment (PIP); the possible impacts on passporting of changes to ADP; the implications for ADP of any changes to PIP at UK level; and the experience of the case transfer process from PIP.

You can read the interim report of the ADP review on the Scottish Government website. The final report is due to be submitted to Scottish Ministers in July 2025.

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