Play a part in implementation of new Health and Social Care Standards

Published in News on 17 Jul 2017

This year, Iriss is working with the new Standards for Health and Social Care Implementation Team to help test out some of the standards in practice. We are working to build an evidence base that bridges the new standards with practice in a variety of settings.

To achieve this, we are asking for partners across Scotland who want to explore what it means to experience compassion and human rights in professional care relationships. In particular, we will be focusing on the implementation of these standards in services for older people who receive care at home, and services for children aged 0-5 years old.

What are the new Standards for Health and Social Care?

Scotland’s new Standards for Health and Social Care are the standards of care which all registered care services in Scotland should use to improve quality. These standards will be used for inspection from April 2018. The standards ensure that everyone who lives in Scotland receives the same high quality of care, and that people who experience Scotland’s services know what they can expect.
 
The last review of Scotland’s care standards was in 2002, and since then, services and partnerships have changed substantially. After a process of review in the last two years, a group of key stakeholders have developed these standards , which have been widely commented on and shaped through consultation processes. These new standards reflect outcomes-focused approaches to care and support which put people and partnership at the centre of care.
 
Read the New Standards for Health and Social Care and the principles that underpin them.  
 
The new Standards for Health and Social Care will be rolled out gradually from April 2018 onwards. However, work is being done across the sector to get key stakeholders ready for these new standards.

How is Iriss supporting implementation?

Iriss is working with other key partners including The Care Inspectorate to explore some of the key aspirational standards, drawing on Iriss’ expertise in outcomes-focused working to support services to implement these standards in practice.
 
We will be inviting groups to come together to join action learning groups focused on developing and testing ideas to implement change in partnership. These groups will include people who experience services as well as services themselves. The learning from these action learning sets will be captured and shared with the sector to inspire, inform and guide their own implementation. This will be a learning exercise for services to test out new ways of working, and enhance their understanding of outcomes-focused working. One of the principles that underpins these standards is compassion, and we see this project as a good opportunity to explore what good quality compassionate relationships look like in practice.

What’s in it for you?

By taking part, we hope that you will have:

  • The opportunity to explore, understand and implement the new Standards for Health and Social Care with support from partners.
  • Testing implementation of standards in practice using a collaborative, learning based setting.
  • Stronger relationships between key stakeholders, modelling partnership processes.
  • Ability to explore the implementation of compassionate relationships in practice.

 At the end of this project, we will collaboratively produce case studies about the implementation of the standards in practice which will be shared online and in print. We will share any settings-based tools and learning which were developed through the project to support wider implementation, and will share a guide to action learning online which can be used by other services to test out new ways of working.
 
This is an opportunity to improve the delivery and experience of services in partnership with Iriss and the Care Inspectorate, in a shared learning space separate from a formal inspection process.

Would you like to take part?

We would like to work in two different localities in Scotland. The project will recruit two project groups from two local areas, each with a different focus (older people who access care at home services and children aged 0-5 years old). In each of these areas, we will bring together a project group comprised of people involved in providing and regulating care, as well as older people and parents who experience this care. We will also seek input from those involved from the planning and commissioning of support as the project progresses.
 
If you would like us to work with your organisation or partnership, please see How can I get involved? below.

What will partners need to commit?

Being a pioneer means investment. We are not asking for participants to offer budgets, but they must be able to set aside protected time to attend workshops and complete activities as needed. Before project work begins we will work with local partners to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will need to be signed off by partners and their organisations to ensure that people are appropriately released to participate.
 
Ultimately, these standards will soon be applicable across Scotland, and all services will need to work to develop their understanding of outcomes-focused working. We hope that this work will provide support for partners who want to get involved in preparing for the rollout of the standards.

When will the project take place?

We will be running two cohorts from September 2017 - April 2018.
 
July: Open call for local authorities, providers and joint teams for the implementation project to be shared through Care Inspectorate Networks and on Iriss’ website.
 
August: Selection of two key areas and assembling project teams, establishing MOUs with key partners.
 
September – January:

Cohort 1
3 meetings to complete the action learning sets with ongoing support for services throughout.
1 final workshop to collect findings and evaluate.
 
January – March:
Cohort 2
3 meetings to complete the action learning sets with ongoing support for services throughout.
1 final workshop to collect findings and evaluate.
 
March
Dissemination of findings, sharing of case studies and tools online. Potential for events in line with overall implementation strategy.

How can I get involved?

The new Standards for Health and Social Care reflect partnership throughout, so we know that we want to work in partnership to test them in practice. This means we are encouraging interest from partners who want to build on their networks and form new collaborations. There is no obligation to have established partnerships in place, but you may want to consider who you would like to work with to achieve your outcomes.
 
If you would like to register your interest, please complete a short survey to the best of your ability. 

If you feel you need additional support and guidance, please contact ellen.daly@iriss.org.uk with any questions.
 
All applications must be submitted by Monday, 28th August 2017. We will respond to all applicants in September 2017.