National Care Service: island communities impact assessment

Further Co-Design Process

The Scottish Government is committed to designing the NCS together with the people who access and deliver social care support and other relevant services to ensure that it embodies human rights principles and delivers for the needs of people and not the system. This co-design process will ensure that the secondary legislation developed on the basis of the NCS Bill as well as parts of the structure and operations that do not require further legislation fully take into consideration the issues people face in social care, including in island communities.

The Scottish Government has launched a series of NCS Design Investigations to begin the process of co-design. These events will involve a wide range of people with lived experience of using and delivering care services, including those who provide care to family or friends, to explore in greater detail some of the key themes that emerged in the NCS Consultation. Input from delivery partners and stakeholders will also be sought. The initial focus of this work will be on the Charter of Rights, national complaints process, and electronic social care and health records. As these investigations are held, the Scottish Government will take stock of how they contribute to the design of the NCS and seek to expand them onto other aspects of the NCS as it is developed.

The Scottish Government will also establish a Lived Experience Partner Panel. This panel will be open to all Scottish residents and places will be advertised via the Scottish Government website. It will provide an opportunity for people to register an interest in being involved in co-design activities and the Scottish Government will use it to coordinate opportunities for involvement. The Lived Experience Partner Panel will be established in summer 2022.

In order to ensure that the people who access and deliver social care support can engage effectively in the co-design process, the Scottish Government will establish a NCS Design School. It will offer training and support to the organisations and the people who access and deliver social care support to overcome barriers to participation and support them to work in partnership to design services. The NCS Design School draws inspiration from the design school model developed and delivered by The Promise Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government Office of the Chief Designer. The Design School is scheduled to be launched in summer 2022.

The Scottish Government will also organise an annual NCS Gathering involving a wide range of people with experience of social care support and other relevant services and elected representatives from political parties. This gathering will serve as a yearly check point in the development of the NCS, including of the national co-design process and as an opportunity to reflect on how engagement has worked and where it can be improved. Outputs from the NCS Design Investigations, the NCS Design School, and the Lived Experience Panel will feed into the NCS Gathering.

In addition to the annual NCS Gathering, the Social Covenant Steering Group will also consider on a more regular basis plans for co-design and consultation in order to ensure that lived experience and the views of people are central in the development of the National Care Service. The Social Covenant Steering Group was established within the first 100 days of the current session of Parliament to ensure that people with lived and living experience have oversight of the NCS programme. Its membership includes people from island communities.