Mrs Audrey Doyle v North Lanarkshire Council — 2022

The tribunal considered whether the claimant was disabled during the relevant period from May 2019 to October 2022. The respondent conceded that the claimant was disabled under the Equality Act 2010 in respect of Asperger's syndrome from February 2019 and anxiety and depression from June 2017, but did not concede that abdominal pain was a standalone disability.

The tribunal found that the claimant had a mental impairment during the relevant period, with effects including difficulty leaving the house, household chores and day-to-day living, and with Asperger's syndrome affecting communication, noise sensitivity, concentration and coping with change. It accepted evidence that her physical abdominal condition, following earlier surgery and hernia mesh repair, caused increasing pain, mobility restriction, toileting issues and difficulty with walking, stairs, lifting, driving and household tasks.

The tribunal concluded that the claimant met the disability criteria. She had a disability arising from mental impairment throughout the relevant period, and a disability arising from physical impairment from December 2020. The claim could therefore proceed.