NHS Scotland redesign of urgent care - first national staging review report: 1 December 2020 – 31 March 2021

2. Purpose

To provide the First National Staging Review Report of the implementation of the Redesign of Urgent Care (RUC) Programme in Scotland.

This review reflects on Phase 1 of the RUC Programme (1 December 2020 – 31 March 2021), to assess the programme progress to date, in relation to the desired outcomes, including a preliminary view of the impact on staff and patient experience and to explore any wider system changes. Scottish Government (SG) established an Evaluation Group (the Group), with Professor Sir Lewis Ritchie and Professor Derek Bell as joint leads. The membership of the Group is outlined in Annex A, with input from Public Health Scotland (PHS), Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), as well Scottish Government (SG) and broader stakeholders.

The learning and experience gained from RUC implementation in all territorial Boards in Scotland, NHS 24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is integral to the RUC programme and continues to evolve. The programme required additional Scottish Government (SG) funding with recurring costs, and it is recognised that an evaluation of cost-effectiveness and broader value is required but falls out with the scope of this present review of progress. This is planned as part of the brief for a broader future independent external evaluation (see below).

This First Staging Report seeks to provide an update of progress to date and to help inform and advise on early learning that can be shared and assimilated throughout NHS Scotland. It will also inform a further, Second RUC Staging Report, due end September 2021. An additional independent external evaluation process to augment these two Staging Reports will be commissioned to be finalised by end March 2022.