Planning for the New Scrutiny Bodies 2011

Announcement Nov 2008

• major improvement to the way services are scrutinised

• a new body responsible for scrutinising health services, including independent healthcare

• a new body responsible for scrutinising care and social work, including child protection

• robust external scrutiny in a much simpler and proportionate way

WHY?• The public sector has grown in a piecemeal way,

despite some very good partnership working by the existing bodies

• The Government, service providers and the public want a more simplified approach

• There is scope for improved effectiveness and efficiency

The Benefits

• Fewer bodies will make it easier for everyone, but particularly the public, to access and understand

• Reduces the combined burden of scrutiny for service providers

• Scrutiny bodies and service providers will have more time to concentrate on getting better outcomes for people

• Less bureaucracy and better value for money

The Benefits

• Further development of validated self-evaluation • New legal requirements for scrutiny bodies to

collaborate • Scrutiny professionals will review quality right

across the spectrum - from how services are organised to delivery of outcomes for individuals

Bodies Affected

health scrutiny• NHS Quality

Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS)

• Care Commission - Independent Healthcare Division

social care scrutiny• Care Commission• Social Work

Inspection Agency (SWIA)

• Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education – child protection unit (HMIE)

Mental Welfare Commission

• MWCS concerned that being in the new

healthcare body would compromise the independence of its responsibilities under the Mental Health Act

• Ministers allowing 4/6 months for more stakeholder engagement and a review of MWCS operations to further consider how it can fit into the wider reform of the public sector

Project Action Groups

1. Legislation, governance, functions and business model

2. Human resources and accommodation3. Finance and IT

Plus the communications and engagement workstream with senior reps from HMIE, NHS QIS, SWIA and CC

Action Group Objectives

• Bring together specialist knowledge• Generate ideas, proposals and options• Make recommendations for legislation and

action• Build ownership and understanding• Report through the Programme Board to

Ministers

LEGISLATION (PSRB)• The foundations for the existing law will remain

the same• Enabling rather than prescriptive on a range of

regulatory matters• New requirement for scrutiny bodies to work

together• Ministers will retain the power to set standards

and outcomes• Powers to ask the new bodies to develop and

publish standards and outcomes

Timeline

• Public Sector Reform Bill to Parliament May/June 2009

• Shadow appointments first half of 2010• New bodies start up April 2011

Working titles

Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Social Services Improvement Scotland

Information channels

• Regular project team Information Bulletins – for staff and external stakeholders

• New section on the Scottish Government website

• More information for staff on the intranets• Stakeholder events programme• Toolkit of presentations, scripts and Q&As• Press releases, media and magazine articles

and features when there is news to report

Going Forward• Stakeholder engagement up to April will

concentrate on generating and testing legislative proposals

• Will then shift to building wider understanding and support for the new bodies over time

• Not about prescribing the operating plans and processes for the new bodies – that will be for the management teams once appointed

Objectives Today

• Report progress• Hear any concerns• Get comments and feedback to take back to the

project team