Scotland’s new Health and Social Care Standards have been launched, with human rights at their core. The standards, which will be implemented on 1 April 2018, will apply to childminding services registered with the Care Inspectorate and set out the standard people should expect when using health or social care services.
They are focused on improving people’s experience of care and are based on five outcomes:
•
I experience high quality care and support that is right for me.
•
I am fully involved in all decisions about my care and support.
•
I have confidence in the people who support and care for me.
•
I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support.
•
I experience a high quality environment if the organisation provides the premises.
They are also underpinned by five principles: dignity and respect; compassion; be included; responsive care and support and wellbeing; which reflect the way that everyone should expect to be treated.
“I have been part of the group responsible for the development of the new Health and Social Care Standards,” said Maggie Simpson, Chief Executive of SCMA. “So I know they will be welcomed by our members, who consistently deliver high quality, professional, childminding services. To support the new standards SCMA will be developing new CPD workshops and materials
later in the year to help members evidence the new outcome based standards. I look forward to working with the Care Inspectorate and our members during the implementation phase but realistically it will be business as usual for our childminders which reflects the quality of provision they already supply.”
Commenting on the launch of the new standards Karen Reid, Chief Executive, Care Inspectorate said: “I believe Scotland’s new Health and Social Care Standards will be amongst the most progressive and radical anywhere in the world. I look forward to the Care Inspectorate working closely with SCMA and childminders during the implementation phase to ensure a successful introduction of the new standards in 2018.
“The new standards challenge us to consider more than just the quality of services, but whether people are getting the right services for them, when they need them. This is an important step forward for all of us. They will form the basis of future inspections but are not just designed for scrutiny. They are explicitly designed to support strategic inspection and the way services are planned, commissioned and delivered, and to be used in supporting improvement too.
“The Care Inspectorate’s role is to inspect care and report on the quality of experience. We champion good care wherever we find it, working closely with providers to support them to improve where needed.
“The new standards will be very different to those previously set out and, in respect of the needs, choices and rights of the individual experiencing care they will be much more outcome-focused and will help everyone focus on what really matters – the experience of the person who uses care.
“I have often said that the Care Inspectorate is on a journey from compliance to collaboration, and these standards help that. I am committed to the Care Inspectorate working in collaboration with care providers and care staff to do the thing we all want –deliver excellent care for people who experience care. Together and over time, we can make sure the new standards become a reality for everyone.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “I’m delighted to launch our new Health and Social Care Standards and commend all of the hard work that has gone into creating these new, human rights-based standards. The new standards are wide reaching, flexible and focused on the experience of people using services. Everyone is entitled to high-quality care and support, designed for their particular needs and choices. Each and everyone one of us at some point in our lives will use, or know someone who uses a health or social care service. That’s why these Standards are so important – to ensure that everyone in Scotland receives the care and support that is right for them.”