Fitness to practise cases being concluded more quickly in Scotland

Fitness to practise cases in Scotland are being resolved more quickly despite a continued rise in referrals, according to new figures from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Community Care reported that The regulator’s annual snapshot shows that average case durations have fallen for the third consecutive year, with improvements seen across all stages of the process. In 2024–25, the average time to close a referral—including those resolved at screening—was 5.05 months, down from 5.42 months the previous year and 7.83 months in 2021–22.

Cases involving formal investigations also saw reduced timeframes, falling from 14.51 months in 2023–24 to 13.76 months in 2024–25. The SSSC reported shorter durations for all types of outcomes, including cases with no action, those resulting in sanctions, and those referred to hearings.

Referral volumes continued to climb, reaching 4,836 in 2024–25, the highest since the register was expanded in 2020. The SSSC closed 4,850 referrals during the year, but the number of open cases rose slightly to 1,857, just above its target of 1,850.

Despite the increase, the regulator maintained its target of having at least 95% of cases open for less than three years, achieving 97.1% by the end of March 2025.

The most common referral reason was inappropriate behaviour at work, followed by practice failings and conduct outside of work. Most referrals came from current or former employers, with a significant number also submitted by the public and through self-referral.

Social care workers were disproportionately more likely to be referred compared to their representation on the register, while social workers and students were underrepresented in referral statistics.

Of the 1,407 investigated cases concluded in 2024–25, 77% resulted in no action, 9.9% led to removal from the register, and 13.1% resulted in other sanctions. Representation at hearings remained low, with only 30% of registrants having legal support.

SSSC chief executive Maree Allison welcomed the progress, stating:

“I am pleased that despite a slight increase in referrals we were able to reduce the time we take to conclude investigations. While it remains a very small minority of the workforce whose fitness to practise is investigated, it is important to us that we support everyone involved in the process through every step and continue to improve the way we work.”

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