Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment (ADP): Analysis of responses to a public consultation and call for evidence

13. Conclusion

Many individuals and organisations with detailed knowledge took part in the consultation, call for evidence and events, sharing their views on how Adult Disability Payment could be delivered more effectively. Reflecting their experience and perspectives, this report provides a high-level summary of the themes evident across the engagement. For more detail, readers are encouraged to look to individual responses where permission was given for publication^[7].

A range of views were expressed in responses. Many gave positive feedback about Adult Disability Payment and Social Security Scotland, speaking highly of some staff interactions, describing feeling respected during the application process and welcoming the lack of medical assessments.

However, respondents also suggested changes they felt would encourage more people to apply for Adult Disability Payment, improve the efficiency of the application process, ensure the breadth of conditions and impacts are considered in decision-making and ensure clients continue to be treated fairly. Improvements highlighted across the engagement included:

• Greater promotion of Adult Disability Payment and pre-application support services, notably via health and social care, while also acknowledging the key role of the third sector in providing individualised support to help people understand their eligibility and apply.
• Reducing the complexity of the application process and considering whether shorter application forms, clearer questions and simpler language can be used, and by providing more examples and case studies of how the rules apply in practice.
• Changes to the activities in the daily living component to ensure they gather relevant information about a wider range of conditions, consider the broader impacts of a condition on daily living, reflect people’s lived experience of real-life scenarios, and reduce confusion around fluctuating conditions.
• Training for Social Security Scotland staff to ensure they understand different conditions and accurately capture lived experiences, and to minimise inconsistencies in decision-making.
• Shorter processing times for decisions, re-determinations and change of circumstances to minimise financial harm and ease anxiety.
• Clearer, more personalised communication, including progress updates for applications and making it easier to contact Social Security Scotland.
• Improving accessibility by considering the needs of people with different conditions e.g. neurodiverse or visual impairments, and those in seldom-heard groups who may require translation or interpreter support.
• Longer review periods and the potential for more indefinite awards.

In conclusion, the responses to the consultation and call for evidence, and in particular the lived examples provided by individuals who receive Adult Disability Payment and those who have supported people to apply, will provide valuable and informative evidence for the Independent Review to draw on when considering its recommendations.