FRIDAY, 25 MARCH 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public asked to give their views on Integration Schemes

A survey is now open for members of the public to give their views on the Integration Schemes for Angus and Dundee Integration Joint Boards. The schemes outline how local authorities and the health board will work together to deliver adult health and social care services.

The Public Bodies (Joint working) (Scotland) Act 2014 placed a duty on Local Authorities and NHS Boards to produce Integration Schemes for their area. An Integration Scheme is a legally binding agreement between a Local Authority (Council) and NHS Board that establishes an Integration Joint Board.

The Integration Joint Board (IJB) is then responsible for adult health and social care outcomes and promoting health and wellbeing for the people of their area. In Tayside, Angus, Dundee City, and Perth & Kinross Councils and NHS Tayside are committed to driving forward Health and Social Care Integration.

At its heart, integration is about ensuring those who use health and social care services get the right care and support, at the right time and in the right setting at any point of their care journey, and that care and support is integrated from the perspective of the person receiving that support.

It is a legal requirement that councils and health boards work together. How they will do that is detailed in the Integration Scheme which must be reviewed every five years. It is a statutory duty to consult on the Integration Schemes before submitting them to Scottish Government for approval.

There have been a number of revisions made to the Integration Schemes since they were introduced in 2015 including making these very technical documents more accessible and understandable. We would particularly like to hear your views on how easy the schemes are to read and understand, along with any comments on the arrangements for operational management and clinical, care and professional governance.

Your feedback will help inform any further revisions to the Integration Schemes, which will be presented to the Local Authorities and Tayside NHS Board for approval and submitted to Scottish Government.

The proposed revised schemes can be viewed on NHS Tayside’s website along with side-by-side comparisons of the previous schemes and the proposed new drafts. The consultation is also available on the Angus Council website and on the Dundee City Council website.

Please provide your feedback here by Sunday, 17 April.

A light touch review was undertaken of all Tayside schemes in September 2020. Work on delivering the revisions has now been completed with the aim to achieve similar Integration Schemes across Tayside.

There has been significant learning during the five-year period of the existing Integration Schemes, including improved understanding of the legislation, improved integrated arrangements around clinical care and professional governance, risk management and finance.

There has been new policy, practice and guidance from the Scottish Government which has had an impact on some of the wording. There has also been a request from Scottish Ministers on how mental health inpatient services should be operationally managed which has impacted on the Integration Schemes.

The revisions made to the schemes generally improve legislative compliance, provide clarity around governance arrangements and the different accountabilities of the IJB, the Local Authority and NHS Tayside. The revisions have also addressed the learning and new policy and aim to make this very technical document more accessible and understandable.

If you have any questions or need a printed copy or alternative format of the survey, please contact NHS Tayside’s Board Secretary at margaret.dunning@nhs.scot.

Discussions are ongoing between NHS Tayside and Perth & Kinross Council around the Perth & Kinross Integration Scheme and therefore their Integration Scheme will move to public consultation in April.

Contact:

NHS Tayside Communications

Tay.communications@nhs.scot