Background

The Authority, in conjunction with Police Scotland, initiated a piece of work to review the Ill Health Retirement (IHR) and Injury on Duty (IoD) award processes in late 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two strands of work have been taken forward under this review:

• The legal arrangements underpinning the processes, reporting to the Legal Committee; and
• The approach, communication, governance and approval arrangements underpinning the processes, reporting to the People Committee.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, as a result of the pandemic, appointments with Selected Medical Practitioners (SMP) were severely curtailed or unable to go ahead. In addition, there were significant delays in receiving the necessary information from GPs and other relevant NHS specialists to progress cases.

Previous reports to the People Committee in February, May and August 2023 outlined improvements that had been identified and implemented, including:

• Enhanced communication prior to approval between Police Scotland and the Authority;
• A senior People & Development (P&D) resource to oversee processes and report on risks and gaps;
• Improvements in the recording and monitoring of cases and timeframes throughout both processes;
• The offer to officers of a meeting to meet their P&D point of contact and discuss the application process;
• Ensuring all required information is submitted in advance of the SMP appointment;
• The recruitment of 5 additional SMPs;
• Additional SMP appointments from January 2023 to reduce processing timescales;
• A 6 month trial commenced in May 2023 to fast-track IHR cases to Police Scotland’s Director of People and Development;
• An interim process change where SMPs are conducting IoD determinations without the need for face-to-face appointments.