Everyone Matters 2020 workforce vision: implementation plan 2016-2017

Overall focus for 2016-17

The overall focus of the first implementation plan for Everyone Matters was on embedding our NHSScotland values and that of the second was on leadership and quality improvement. The focus is based on the things we need to do around our five priority areas:

• healthy organisational culture
• sustainable workforce
• capable workforce
• workforce to deliver integrated services
• effective leadership and management.

In this third implementation plan, we are focussing overall on health inequalities and on integration.

Health inequalities are the "systematic differences in the health of people occupying unequal positions in society"^[2]. Tackling inequality in Scotland is a major issue: our health is improving but more slowly than in other European countries. Our national policy Equally Well^[3] and the recommendations from the Ministerial Task Force on health inequalities give a strong sense of direction to close the health gap between Scotland's most and least affluent groups. This plan will reflect what the workforce can do to support this issue.

We recognised that once legislation for health and social care integration was enacted the work would need to reflect the growing importance of supporting the workforce to deliver integrated health and social care services. The work should be developed and implemented in partnership with local authorities and third party providers.

As with previous plans, we have engaged with a wide group of stakeholders in health and social care and considered the workforce issues that matter to people who use, deliver, manage and support health and social care services in Scotland. This plan will reflect what people told us.