SMP appointment checklist
A printable checklist for seeing a selected medical practitioner about ill-health retirement or an injury award: what to ask the force, what to gather, the questions the SMP must answer, and what to do when the report arrives.
- Updated 7 October 2026
- From the regulations
- Saved in your browser only
- Process, not coaching
SMP appointment checklist
From policepay.co.uk/officers/injury-and-ill-health/smp-appointment-checklist/. Process preparation only: not legal or medical advice.
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The questions the SMP must answer
The SMP decides only the questions the authority refers. Pick why you are seeing the SMP.
Ill-health retirement, 2015 scheme (serving officer)
- Are you medically unfit for the ordinary duties of a police officer?
- Is that likely to be permanent (until normal pension age, 60, or earlier death)?
- Are you medically unfit for any regular employment (an average of 30 hours a week)?
- Is that likely to be permanent?
The answers to the last two questions decide lower or upper tier. The authority, not the SMP, then decides whether to retire you (reg 82).
Source: Police Pensions Regulations 2015, regs 76 and 81(1); reg 2 for regular employment.
Before the appointment: ask the authority
0/7Ask in writing, and keep copies. You need to know exactly what the SMP has been asked and what they will read.
Before the appointment: gather your papers
0/8Bring copies, not originals, and keep a set yourself outside force systems.
On the day
0/5The SMP must examine or interview you as they think appropriate. There is no fixed format.
Afterwards
0/7Write things down the same day, while you remember them. Keep these notes yourself.
When the report arrives
Enter the date you received it and get your notice and grounds deadlines, with a calendar file.
Work out my appeal deadlineWhat this is and is not. A checklist for the process: papers, questions and dates. It is not coaching on how to describe your symptoms, and it is not legal or medical advice. Be accurate and honest with the SMP. Your Federation or staff association representative can help you prepare.
Tell me if the SMP or appeal rules change
We will email you if the rules on SMP referrals, reports or appeals change. Your checklist stays on this device and is not sent to us.
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About this checklist
Why each step is there, and what it does not do. For the whole process, read the SMP guide.
How do I prepare for an SMP appointment?
Ask the authority in writing which questions it has referred and what the SMP will read. Gather up-to-date reports from your treating doctors, your occupational health letters and a short factual timeline. Answer accurately on the day. Afterwards, write down what happened, make sure you get a copy of the report, and note the date it arrives: the 28-day appeal clock starts then.
Why preparation matters
The SMP decides only the questions the authority refers, and their report is final unless you appeal within 28 days of receiving it or both sides agree to reconsideration. Knowing the questions in advance, and making sure the SMP has the evidence, matters more than anything you say on the day.
For an injury award, the degree of disablement turns on how far the duty injury has affected your earning capacity. That is why the checklist asks about the earnings assessment, your work history and your qualifications. See the earnings assessment guide.
This checklist is about the process. It does not tell you how to describe your symptoms. Be accurate: the SMP is expected to test evidence from both sides, and your credibility matters if there is an appeal. The SMP process guide explains the rest.
What is stored, and where
Your ticks and the situation you picked are saved in this browser's local storage so they are still there when you come back. There are no text boxes and nothing about your health is collected. Nothing is sent to PolicePay. Use "Clear ticks" or clear your browser data to remove it. On a shared computer, clear it when you finish.
The optional email box only adds you to occasional updates when the rules change. It is not needed to use or print the checklist.
What we could not verify
- Whether you can bring a companion or note-taker into an SMP appointment: the regulations are silent and force practice varies.
- Whether an SMP appointment can be recorded.
- Whether forces must share the earnings assessment before the appointment: one force toolkit does; no regulation requires it.
- Who your force uses as SMP and how long reports take: there is no national list and no time limit in the regulations.
The questions and time limits here are for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own injury and pension regulations: check with the Scottish Police Federation or the Police Federation for Northern Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
What should I take to an SMP appointment?
The referral and appointment letters, up-to-date reports from your GP and treating specialists, occupational health letters, a short factual timeline of dates, and for an injury award the incident records and evidence about work and pay. Take copies and keep your own set.
What questions does the SMP have to answer?
It depends on the referral. For 2015 scheme ill-health retirement: unfit for police duties, permanent, unfit for any regular employment, permanent (regulation 81). For an injury award: disabled, permanent, the result of a duty injury, and the degree of disablement (Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, regulation 30(2)). Ask the authority in writing which questions it has referred.
Can I bring someone with me to the SMP?
The regulations do not say. Whether a companion or note-taker can be present is for the SMP and your force, so ask in advance. On an appeal, only doctors may be present for any examination.
Can I record my SMP appointment?
We found nothing in the regulations on this. Ask the SMP provider in advance and do not record without agreement.
Will I get a copy of the SMP report?
Yes. For injury awards a copy must be supplied to you (regulation 30(7)); under the 2015 scheme the SMP gives the report to you and the authority (regulation 81(2)(c)). Ask for the full referral file as well.
When does the appeal clock start?
On the day you receive the SMP report, not the date printed on it. Notice of appeal is due within 28 days, or longer if the authority allows, and your grounds within a further 28 days. Use our appeal deadline calculator the day it arrives.
What happens if I miss the appointment?
If you wilfully or negligently fail to attend, the authority can decide the question itself on the evidence it has (regulation 33 of the injury regulations; regulation 77 of the 2015 regulations). If you cannot attend, say so in writing straight away and ask for another date.
Does this checklist store my information?
Only your ticks and the situation you picked, in your own browser. There are no text boxes, nothing about your health is collected, and nothing is sent to us. Clearing your browser data removes it.
Sources
Read on 7 October 2026. Where something could not be confirmed from an official source, the page says so. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, regulations 30 to 33 (legislation.gov.uk, as made) : questions referred to the SMP (30(2) to (4)), copy of the report (30(7)), appeal (31), non-attendance (33) (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, Part 6 (legislation.gov.uk) : permanence (76), non-attendance (77), referral and report (81), retire or retain (82), reviews (117) (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Police Pensions Regulations 2015, Schedule 1 : 28-day appeal and grounds; who may attend an appeal examination (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police Authority v Laws [2010] EWCA Civ 1099 : on a review the earlier decision is taken as given (accessed 7 October 2026)
- R (Goodland) v Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police [2020] EWHC 2477 (Admin) : SMP appointed by but otherwise independent of the authority; records and regulation 33 (accessed 7 October 2026)
- Greater Manchester Police Injury Award HR Toolkit (FOI, March 2025) : one force's practice: earnings assessment sent to the applicant for comment (accessed 7 October 2026)