Health and social care - annual performance reports: statutory guidance

1. Legislative context and reporting arrangements

The 2014 Act obliges all integration authorities to publish a performance report covering performance over the reporting year no later than four months after the end of that reporting year. Reporting years begin on 1 April. For example, a performance report covering the period April 2023 to March 2024 is required to be published no later than the end of July 2024.

Performance reports are produced for the consideration of the integration authority itself, and it is primarily the integration authority’s responsibility to act upon the information and recommendations within them. The 2014 Act requires that copies of each report are provided to constituent authorities and/or Joint Monitoring Committees, depending on the integration model that has been put in place, and that it must also be published.

Publication should include making the report available online, and the integration authority should ensure that these are as accessible as possible to the public. Integration authorities may wish to consider a range of media and communication methods to engage with the public, illustrate performance and disseminate the performance report.

Performance reports will be of interest to the health board and local authorities in monitoring the success of the arrangements that they have put in place for integrated health and social care, particularly in determining whether a review of their integration scheme is required. Performance reporting is essential for open, transparent and effective public service provision and reports will be of interest to supported people, carers and wider local communities.

The Scottish Government also has an interest, as performance reports can inform evidence at a national, strategic level on the effectiveness of health and social care integration and assist in supporting improvement.

The framework for community health and social care integrated services

Integration authorities are advised to reflect their use of the Framework for Community Health and Social Care Integrated Services in their performance reporting.

Aligned to integration delivery principles and the national health and wellbeing outcomes, the Framework describes the characteristics and components of effective, integrated, sustainable community-based care and support, and the enablers that help to create the right environment for successful delivery of human rights based person-centred care. The Framework supports the improvement of outcomes for people by informing the design and delivery of local services. By encouraging a whole system approach, transformation and improvement planning will be consistent and cohesive, and deliver positive impacts across all of our populations.

Many integration authorities are applying the Framework, or aspects of it, at strategic and at locality levels and its use is also advised to inform continuous improvement approaches in service delivery planning and team planning cycles. Actively engaging with people who use services and carers, staff and communities, as a foundation element of the Framework, will be key to implementation.

There is opportunity for integration authorities to share their learning, good practice, and approaches in their adoption and implementation of the Framework via their annual performance reporting.

The embedded and emerging good practice online portal has examples of planning, engagement and delivery of services aligned to the Framework. Integration authorities should look to increase the content of this resource by submitting local good practice examples on a regular basis.