The Scottish Government has set out its plan to integrate adult health and social care. Key elements of the new system will be:

• Community Health Partnerships will be replaced by Health and Social Care Partnerships, which will be the joint responsibility of the NHS and local authority
• Partnerships will be accountable to Ministers, leaders of local authorities and the public for delivering new nationally agreed outcomes. These are set to include measures such as reducing delayed discharges, reducing unplanned admissions to hospital and increasing the number of older people who live in their own home rather than a care home or hospital
• NHS Boards and local authorities will be required to produce integrated budgets for older people’s
• The role of clinicians and social care professionals in the planning of services will be strengthened
• A smaller proportion of resources – money and staff – will be directed towards institutional care and more resources will be invested in community provision. “This will mean creating new or different job opportunities in the community. … The Change Fund for older people’s services is already helping to deliver these improvements”.

Older people’s groups said the proposals are just a starting point. They called on the government to ensure funds are shifted from the NHS to preventative community services that support older people, such as Meals on Wheels, befriending services and lunch clubs.