Integrating health and social care services is a major programme of reform for Scotland. It will mean better and more joined up care, better anticipatory and preventative care and a greater emphasis on community based care. It will benefit the growing number of people in Scotland who have complex care needs, amongst others. People who use services should get the right care, in the right pace, at the right time.
The Public Bodies (Joint Working) Act 2014 is a key piece of legislation, requiring Health Boards and Local Authorities to integrate their health and social care services, so that best use is made of skills and resources. Making the best use of skills and resources means involving the voluntary sector, service users and carers.
Threading the Needle is a new programme established by Evaluation Support Scotland to use third sector evidence to commission outcomes for health and social care.
Useful resources
Scottish Government health and social care integration website
Threading the Needle website
Joint Improvement Team integration website
Related News and Blogs
Audit Scotland reviews health and social care integration
06/11/2018
Earlier this year VHS organised two round table discussions to support Audit Scotland’s engagement with the third sector during its second review of health and social care integration (H&SCI). We anticipate that their report will be published short …
Third and Independent Sector Engagement with Health and Social Care Integration
01/06/2018
VHS was part of a group of third sector intermediaries that collaborated to submit a paper to the Ministerial Strategic Group (MSG) for Health and Community Care for consideration at its March 2018 meeting. It was drafted by SCVO, CCPS, and the Healt …
CPG on Health Inequalities: Health and Social Care Standards 25th January 2018
15/03/2018
The Cross Party Group on Health Inequalities met on 25th January 2018 to consider the Health and Social Care Standards 2017 and health inequalities. Dr Fiona Wardell, Team Lead for the Standards, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Henry Mathias, Str …
Community Link Working: What is happening?
24/08/2017
There has been a lot of third sector led activity relating to Link worker initiatives. Voluntary Health Scotland have tried to capture some of this in our recent publication Gold Star Exemplars, which aims to showcase Third sector approaches to Communi …
VHS Briefing – The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan
17/05/2017
This briefing report aims to provide an overview of the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Delivery Plan. The scope of this briefing is to highlight areas of interest and key thinking points for the voluntary health sector. We are focusing on …