Maximising Recovery, Promoting Independence: An Intermediate Care Framework for Scotland

2. Purpose of the Framework

The purpose of this Framework is to:

• Raise awareness of Intermediate Care, and its link with wider, long term, enabling and rehabilitative services.
• Encourage and guide the development of Intermediate Care as part of a range of enabling and preventative services.
• Set out links with Co-ordinated, integrated and fit for purpose: A Delivery Framework for Adult rehabilitation in Scotland³, the new Allied Health Professionals Delivery Plan, and the Community Hospital Strategy⁴

The document provides a Framework for local health and social care partnerships to review and further develop Intermediate Care within their area. It identifies the common and key components that should make up these services, however they may be configured.

We recognise that Intermediate Care can describe a wide range of services, so this Framework does not describe a specific model, but provides an overview of the issues to be considered when developing or reviewing local enabling services.

The Framework also provides evidence of the benefits of developing Intermediate Care as part of a range of enabling services, along with practical examples of successful services currently in operation across the country.

Intermediate Care encompasses a range of functions which focus on prevention, rehabilitation, reablement and recovery, depending on the needs of the individual.

Specifically, the Framework includes:

(a) a working definition of Intermediate Care

(b) the principles and outcomes which should underpin Intermediate Care

(c) the reasons for the further development of Intermediate Care in Scotland, looking at the policy context, and the evidence of its impact and effectiveness

(d) the components of an effective and coherent Intermediate Care system, drawing on practice examples from across Scotland.

The lead for the development of IC will lie with local health and social care partnerships; but this approach is about more than just health and social care services. This Framework is also relevant to housing, and the third and independent sector providers as equal partners.