Integration of health and social care services – carers’ views
Do you know about the Scottish Government's proposals to integrate health and social care services?
There is a briefing paper for carers which provides an overview of the key areas - you can download it from the Coalition of Carers in Scotland's website.
What is the consultation about?
The Scottish Government are currently consulting over proposals to integrate Adult Social Care and Community Health Partnership functions. These proposals are in response to:
- Inconsistency in the quality of care for people and the support provided to carers, particularly in terms of older people’s services;
- People too often unnecessarily delayed in hospital when they are clinically ready to leave;
- Services required to enable people to stay safely at home are not always available quickly enough, which can lead to avoidable and undesirable admissions to hospitals.
The
aim of integration would therefore be to:
tackle these challenges…so that the balance of care shifts from institutional care to services provided in the community, and resources follow people’s needs. (Scottish Government, 2012, Integration of Adult Health and Social Care in Scotland, p.12)
