Independent Review of Scottish Adult Disability Payment Highlights Importance Of “A Compassionate, Practical And Accessible System”

To begin with, the criteria for qualifying for ADP has remained the same as for PIP. This means that the system for scoring points remains the same for both benefits.

However, there are significant positive differences in the way ADP is assessed and administered.

An independent review has now been published, commissioned by the Scottish Government in February 2024, to examine the first year of ADP delivery, with the aim of identifying improvements to the eligibility framework, decision-making process and client experience.

The Scottish Government will consider this review to decide if changes should be made to its qualifying criteria, assessment and administration.

While not co-produced with Disabled people, the review sought to engage extensively with us and drew on evidence from a public consultation, written submissions, in-person and online events. It also drew on the lived experience of an advisory group made up of third sector representatives, Disabled people and people with long-term health-conditions.

It calls for a simplified and more accessible ADP application process, urging the Scottish Government to protect and improve access to support for Disabled people.

Led by Edel Harris OBE, the review highlights that whilst ADP is significantly more compassionate than the UK PIP benefit it replaced, some people still face barriers, complexity and distress when applying for the benefit.

Edel Harris said:

“Adult Disability Payment has been described by many as a step change - kinder in tone and more dignified in approach. But too often, Disabled people still find the system difficult to navigate, time-consuming, and anxiety-inducing.

“I heard consistently that if we are to realise social security as an investment in people, it is important to ensure that the eligibility criteria fulfil this goal.

“This review highlights the importance of a system that is not only compassionate, but practical and accessible. The recommendations are based on real experiences and a shared commitment to making Adult Disability Payment work better for everyone who needs it.”

She notes that: “The UK Government announced several policy measures, in March 2025, to reform elements of the UK welfare system with the aim of reducing spending and helping Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions into employment.

These measures include changes that are expected to reduce spending on and PIP and carer’s allowance in England and Wales.”

However, she then stresses that: “My recommendations suggest that the Scottish Government should not restrict eligibility or introduce further barriers to application. Anything in practice, that opposes the human rights approach currently adopted by the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland could potentially harm the quality of life of many Disabled people.

If viewed as an investment in the people of Scotland there is evidence of the economic value of the wellbeing impacts of disability benefits and these significantly outweigh the financial costs associated with administering them.

This means not only should we continue to encourage people to apply for Adult Disability Payment, but we also need to make the application process as accessible and anxiety-reducing as possible.”

Minutes of the advisory group meetings were also published.

The Review makes over 50 recommendations including the following:

• the reinstatement of an “expert by experience” group to guide the next stage of the evolution of ADP following the publication of this report.
• continuing to place the client voice at the heart of continuous improvement and enhancing the client experience to ensure it is truly person-centred.
• simplifying the ADP application form and improving the decision-making process.
• ensuring the funding available to third sector advocacy and welfare advice organisations to support Disabled people is sustainable and actively promotes and shares information on the range and location of advice, advocacy and support services available to potential claimants.
• to ensure that taking a trauma-informed approach to practice is embedded in all aspects of Social Security Scotland’s work and ensure people are always treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
• further training and guidance for case managers on certain conditions and the impact they can have on a person’s daily life.
• specific guidance on fluctuating conditions and replacing the 50% rule with improved application of the reliability criteria.
• the reinstatement of an ‘expert by experience’ group to guide the next stage of the evolution of ADP.
• undertaking a thorough review of the decision-making criteria.
• providing further training and guidance for case managers to aid good decision making.
• removing reference to a fixed distance in the mobility component.
• improving the questions asked of applicants within the application process, to account for variability, triggers and actions taken to manage conditions.

A key recommendation from the review is that eligibility should be based on the real-life experience of clients and not just on a list of activities.

Edel Morris says: “I believe that a better approach would be one that merges what is relevant in the medical and social models on the basis that disability is always an interaction between features of the person and features of the overall context in which the person lives.

I have attempted in my recommendations to ensure the changes proposed reflect the social model of disability better and capture the rights of disabled people to independent living and equal participation in society. I have tried to consider the aspects of society that disable a person rather than focusing on the medical or functional aspects of a person’s impairment.”

She also recommends that the application process should be made easier for those with fluctuating conditions and mental health problems, taking into consideration the environment in which the person lives.

In addition, it calls for sustainable funding for welfare advice services, more inclusive communication, and automatic entitlement in some circumstances.

The Scottish Government says that implementation of the recommendations in the review will be assessed against criteria including deliverability, cost, and alignment with human rights principles.

The full report of Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment: final report is available at gov.scot and also a report summary.

In 2023 the Scottish Government published the results of its consultation on the ADP mobility component |(in which respondents argued that 20 metres is an unrealistic and limiting distance for the moving around component).

Bottom of FormWe have a free Guide to Adult Disability Payment.

We also have a page dedicated to different factsheets and guides to help you navigate the social security system, with information on PIP, Universal Credit, Work Capability Assessment and more.