Two documents key to the way health and social care services are delivered in Shetland are now out for public consultation.
The Integration Scheme, which sets out the arrangements for how services are planned, delivered and monitored, has to be consulted on every five years. That last happened in 2015, just before the Integration Joint Board (IJB) was formally established.
The IJB Joint Strategic Commissioning Plan describes how health and care can deliver services into the future which meet the needs of the Shetland population, and continue to be safe, effective and of high quality. The plan describes how that will be achieved across the services within the Integration Scheme.
The documents have been shared with various groups and individuals for comment, but the Chair of the IJB, Councillor Emma Macdonald, says the views of the community would be very welcome: “Our Plan covers the period 2019-2022, so this is a good point to review it and make any necessary changes.
“One of our key challenges is to make sure our services are built around the needs of individuals, as well as their families and carers, and aren’t just designed to fit the requirements of the organisations involved. We need to hear people’s views to make sure we’re doing that as much as possible, and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in the future of care in the islands to take this opportunity to let us know what they think.”
Both documents can be found at https://www.shetland.gov.uk/public-consultations and consultation will close on Sunday 15th November.
Virtual workshops are also being held on:
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Mon 9th November – 10 a.m. - 12 noon
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Tues 10th November – 6.30 - 8.30 p.m.
Numbers are limited, so to book a place, contact Lucy Flaws by email at lucy.flaws@nhs.scot or call 01595 807494.
To learn more about other opportunities to shape the future of health and care in Shetland you can join the Shetland Public Engagement Network (SPEN) on Facebook, or by emailing shet-hb.montfieldreception@nhs.net
You can also contact the local Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Community Engagement Office on his.engageshetland@nhs.scot to discuss opportunities to get involved with engagement work in Shetland.