Health and Social Care Integration Goes Live

Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Integration went live as the legislation to implement health and social care integration came into force on April 1. NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council (SBC) care services, along with third and independent sector organisations, are working together to deliver the joined-up services that ultimately will be in the best interests of service users, patients, families, carers and staff.

As part of the Health and Social Care Integration reform, the Scottish Borders' Integration Joint Board became a legal entity responsible for commissioning health and social care services as of April 1.

"The aim of the Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership is to meet the challenges of health and social care in the future and to enable services to work together effectively to support people achieve the outcomes that matter to them," said Susan Manion, Chief Officer for Health and Social Care in the Borders.

"We will use this opportunity through joint working to plan the delivery of services with people and communities. We will build on what is already working well locally and draw on resources and assets that already exist."

Health and Social Care Partnerships must demonstrate that the services they are responsible for are delivering against the nine National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes identified by the Scottish Government. These outcomes are high-level statements focusing on improving quality across health and social care.

"For year one, we will be focusing on supporting people at home and the wellbeing of our staff," explained Mrs Manion. "Integration will make a real difference for real people. It is about keeping more people at home as opposed to requiring hospital and institutional care.

"We know that people live longer than ever and this is something that we should all celebrate. It does also mean that we need to plan ahead, both as communities and as individuals, to ensure that we, in the Borders, make the most of the benefits and positive experiences of a long, healthy life."