FOI-03887

##Request 

<p><i>‘I am writing under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information concerning practitioner (GP) awareness of, and support relating to, the SD502 opt-out process during the period 2013–2018.</i></p>

<p><i>This request seeks policy, process, published material and aggregated / anonymised statistics only. No personal data is requested.</i></p>

<p><i>Requests</i></p>

<p><i>1.  Guidance and communications</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide any guidance, circulars, factsheets, web pages, newsletters, member communications, training materials or other published material issued by NHS Pensions, NHSBSA, PCSE or predecessor organisations between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2018 specifically explaining:</i></p>

<p><i>● the SD502 opt-out process;</i></p>

<p><i>● how practitioner (GP) members could opt out of pension membership;</i></p>

<p><i>● the pension consequences of opting out.</i></p>

<p><i>2.  Practitioner-facing support channels</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide details of any practitioner-facing pension support channels available during that period, including:</i></p>

<p><i>● dedicated practitioner pension helplines;</i></p>

<p><i>● advisory services;</i></p>

<p><i>● member-facing contact points for questions concerning pensionability, opting out, or the SD502 form;</i></p>

<p><i>● and how practitioner members were expected to obtain advice or information regarding pension opt-outs.</i></p>

<p><i>If information comparing practitioner support with officer-member support is held, please provide that also.</i></p>

<p><i>3.  Awareness of the SD502 process</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide any documents describing how practitioner members were expected to become aware of the SD502 opt-out process.</i></p>

<p><i>4.  Practitioner awareness and understanding</i></p>

<p><i>In relation to practitioner members’ awareness of the SD502 opt-out process during 2013–2018, please answer each of the following questions separately:</i></p>

<p><i>(a) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time conduct, commission or receive any review, audit, evaluation or assessment of practitioner members’ awareness or understanding of the SD502 process? If so, please identify it.</i></p>

<p><i>(b) Has NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time identified, recorded or acknowledged that awareness of the SD502 process among practitioner members was, or may have been, low or lower than among officer members? If so, please identify the relevant document.</i></p>

<p><i>(c) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA receive complaints, queries or correspondence from practitioner members, representative bodies (including the BMA or Local Medical Committees), or accountants acting for practitioners, concerning confusion about, or lack of awareness of, the SD502 process or how to opt out? If so, please provide the number and general nature of such communications on an anonymised and aggregated basis.</i></p>

<p><i>(d) Was the SD502 form, or guidance relating to it, routinely sent or made available directly to practitioner members? If not, please describe how such information was distributed.</i></p>

<p><i>(e) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time consider, discuss or implement any change to how the SD502 process or opt-out information was communicated to practitioner members specifically? If so, please identify the relevant material.</i></p>

<p><i>(f) Is NHS Pensions / NHSBSA aware of any internal or external report, finding, correspondence or discussion concerning practitioner members using alternative arrangements rather than the SD502 opt-out process? If so, please identify the relevant material.</i></p>

<p><i>(g) For the avoidance of doubt, if the answer to any of questions (a)–(f) is that no such information is held, please confirm that expressly for each question.</i></p>

<p><i>5.  SD502 opt-out statistics</i></p>

<p><i>If held, please provide annual figures for practitioner members submitting SD502 opt-out forms in each year from 2013/14 to 2021/22. For context, please also provide:</i></p>

<p><i>● equivalent figures for officer members; and</i></p>

<p><i>● the total contributing population in each category for each year,</i></p>

<p><i>so that the practitioner figures can be expressed as a proportion. If SD502-specific figures are not held, please provide the nearest available equivalent opt-out data together with an explanatory note.</i></p>

<p><i>6.  Earliest practitioner-facing SD502 document</i></p>

<p><i>Please identify the earliest practitioner-facing document held by NHS Pensions / NHSBSA that specifically refers to the SD502 opt-out form, together with its date.’</i></p>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 9 June 2026.  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

##Our response 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds some of the information you have requested. 

Please note, any documents provided relate to information held by the NHSBSA. 

PCSE is a separate organisation to the NHSBSA and therefore we do not hold any PCSE policies. 

PCSE can be contacted at: https://pcse.england.nhs.uk/contact-us with queries, however please be aware that PCSE are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. 

__Question 1 - Guidance and communications__

__Please provide any guidance, circulars, factsheets, web pages, newsletters, member communications, training materials or other published material issued by NHS Pensions, NHSBSA, PCSE or predecessor organisations between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2018 specifically explaining:__

__the SD502 opt-out process;__

A copy of available documents are attached. 

The relevant documents are: 

* Member opting out factsheets V3 and V4 

* General Guide for completion of form SD502 

<ul>
    <li><strong>how practitioner (GP) members could opt out of pension membership;</strong></li>
</ul>

There is no difference in the opting out process for officer or practitioner members, and all guidance is applicable to all members. The only difference for members opting out of a practitioner post is that they must opt out of all practitioner posts, whereas an officer can choose to opt out for individual posts. 

<ul>
    <li><strong>the pension consequences of opting out</strong></li>
</ul>

A copy of available documents are attached. 

The relevant document are: 

* Leaving Early and Transferring Out booklets V7 and V13 

* SD502 forms V12,14,15 and 16 

* SD Guide V16 and V17 

* 2015 members Guide V2, 4 and 5 

__Question 2 - Practitioner-facing support channels__

__Please provide details of any practitioner-facing pension support channels available during that period, including:__

<ul>
    <li><strong>dedicated practitioner pension helplines;</strong></li>
</ul>

There are no dedicated practitioner pension helplines. The Member helpline and Employer helpline are for all membership types. 


<ul>
    <li><strong>advisory services;</strong></li>
</ul>

NHS Pensions does not provide advice. 

<ul>
    <li><strong>member-facing contact points for questions concerning pensionability, opting out, or the SD502 form;
</strong></li>
</ul>

The Member helpline, information on NHS Pension Scheme website and scheme guides. 

<ul>
    <li><strong>and how practitioner members were expected to obtain advice or information regarding pension opt-outs</strong></li>
</ul>

The Member helpline, information on NHS Pension Scheme website, scheme guides or via their employing authority. 


<ul>
    <li><strong>If information comparing practitioner support with officer-member support is held, please provide that also</strong></li>
</ul>

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. 

__Question 3 - Awareness of the SD502 process__

__Please provide any documents describing how practitioner members were expected to become aware of the SD502 opt-out process__

The Member helpline, information on NHS Pension Scheme website, scheme guides or via their employing authority. 

__Question 4 - Practitioner awareness and understanding__

__In relation to practitioner members’ awareness of the SD502 opt-out process during 2013–2018, please answer each of the following questions separately:__

__(a) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time conduct, commission or receive any review, audit, evaluation or assessment of practitioner members’ awareness or understanding of the SD502 process? If so, please identify it.__

__(b) Has NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time identified, recorded or acknowledged that awareness of the SD502 process among practitioner members was, or may have been, low or lower than among officer members? If so, please identify the relevant document.__

__(c) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA receive complaints, queries or correspondence from practitioner members, representative bodies (including the BMA or Local Medical Committees), or accountants acting for practitioners, concerning confusion about, or lack of awareness of, the SD502 process or how to opt out? If so, please provide the number and general nature of such communications on an anonymised and aggregated basis.__

__(e) Did NHS Pensions / NHSBSA at any time consider, discuss or implement any change to how the SD502 process or opt-out information was communicated to practitioner members specifically? If so, please identify the relevant material.__

__(f) Is NHS Pensions / NHSBSA aware of any internal or external report, finding, correspondence or discussion concerning practitioner members using alternative arrangements rather than the SD502 opt-out process? If so, please identify the relevant material.__

__(g) For the avoidance of doubt, if the answer to any of questions (a)–(f) is that no such information is held, please confirm that expressly for each question.__

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. 

__(d) Was the SD502 form, or guidance relating to it, routinely sent or made available directly to practitioner members? If not, please describe how such information was distributed.__

Information on NHS Pension Scheme website, scheme guides or via their employing authority. 

__Question 5 - SD502 opt-out statistics__

__If held, please provide annual figures for practitioner members submitting SD502 opt-out forms in each year from 2013/14 to 2021/22.__

__For context, please also provide:__

__equivalent figures for officer members; and__

<ul>
    <li><strong>the total contributing population in each category for each year,</strong></li>
</ul>

__so that the practitioner figures can be expressed as a proportion. If SD502-specific figures are not held, please provide the nearest available equivalent opt-out data together with an explanatory note.__

Under Section 21 of the FOIA we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.  

The information you requested is available from the web link below: 

https://nhsbsadata.shinyapps.io/nhs-pension-opt-out-202603/ 

Please see the following link to view the section 21 in full - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/21 

__Question 6 - Earliest practitioner-facing SD502 document__

__Please identify the earliest practitioner-facing document held by NHS Pensions / NHSBSA that specifically refers to the SD502 opt-out form, together with its date__

A copy of the document is attached, titled R - SD 91/25. 

__Data Queries__

Please contact <a href=mailto:foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. 

__Reusing the data and copyright__

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact <a href=mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. 

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.

Tags: NHS Pensions, PCSE, SD502, SD502 opt-out process
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log