Working together with NHS Shetland, we will deliver the outcomes in the Integration Joint Board’s Strategic Plan.
Delivery of the Integration Joint Board’s Strategic Commissioning Plan relies on partnership working between the council, NHS Shetland, Shetland Charitable Trust, other regional and national organisations (such as the Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Grampian and other specialist health boards), voluntary sector providers and with individuals and families at the centre of decision making around their health and care needs.
The Joint Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25 sets out five key strategic priorities:
- Prevention and early intervention
- Tackling inequalities
- Best value
- Shifting the balance of care
- Community involvement (meaningfully involving communities in how we design and develop services and to be accountable to their feedback)
‘Shifting the Balance of Care’ is the current key focus for the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), a significant programme of work designed to deliver the greatest progress against these priorities over the next three to five years.
This includes providing more care in community care settings, and individual homes when appropriate, rather than in hospital. This shift supports improved health and wellbeing outcomes for people as they do not experience the deconditioning, disruption of routine, disconnect from family/community, decreased confidence and independence, and risk of infection associated with increased time spent in hospital. It also means that acute sector skills and resources can be more appropriately utilised for people who are acutely unwell.
Locally, in recognition of the value of community as a partner in building and protecting wellbeing, the Shetland HSCP extends this scope of ‘shifting the balance’ to the natural next step of moving care from being service-led, to being community-led, and has an explicit work stream regarding building services' understanding of communities to ensure all partners in the system are supported to participate and develop solutions.
While the HSCP already delivers high quality services to the people of Shetland, health and wellbeing outcomes in the short and longer term could be improved, and could be fairer across geography and social groups. The current model of delivery is inadequate for many people due to external pressures, such as recruitment challenges. It is also unsustainable for the organisations and teams delivering services – both financially and in terms of staff welfare.
Shifting the Balance of Care is built around the ethos of people being able to access the right care, from the right person, in the right place, at the right time.