Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Scottish Government: operating framework

Annex 1: Sponsorship Management

1. The National Clinical Director and Deputy Director for Planning and Quality have responsibility for overseeing and ensuring effective relationships between the SG and HIS which support alignment of the business of HIS to the SG's Purpose and National Outcomes and high performance by HIS. They will work closely with the HIS Chief Executive and be answerable to the Portfolio Accountable Officer, who is the Director General, Health and Social Care, for maintaining and developing positive relationships with HIS characterised by openness, trust, respect and mutual support. They will be supported by a sponsor unit in Planning and Quality Division in discharging these functions.

2. The SG sponsor unit for HIS is the Person-Centred and Quality Unit, based in the Planning and Quality Division. It is the normal point of contact for HIS in dealing with the SG. The unit, under the direction of the Deputy Director, is the primary source of advice to Scottish Ministers on the discharge of their responsibilities in respect of HIS and undertakes the responsibilities of the Portfolio Accountable Officer on their behalf.

3. While the sponsor unit is the main point of contact and has oversight of all HIS activities, other SG business areas, including those outwith the Health and Social Care Directorates, have direct relationships with HIS and arrangements to meet with them in relation to specific programmes of work and policy issues. These include but are not limited to:

Health and Social Care Directorates

Directorate for Health and Social Care Integration:

• Strategy and delivery for dementia, autism and learning disabilities
• Integration
  • Partnership support & development
• Care, Support and Rights:
  • Adult social care reform
  • Sponsorship of Care Inspectorate & Ilf Scotland

Directorate for Healthcare Quality and Improvement:

• Planning and Quality :
  • Openness and Learning
  • Person-centred and quality
  • Strategic planning and clinical priorities
  • Strategic and clinical advisors

Directorate for Children and Families:

• Improving Health and Wellbeing:
  • Maternal & Infant Health

Directorate for Mental Health:

• Mental Health Unit

Disclosure Scotland

Directorate for Health Workforce, Leadership & Service Transformation

• Service transformation including National Boards Collaborative work

Directorate for Chief Nursing Officer

• Chief Nursing Officer
  • Nursing and midwifery policy unit
  • Excellence in care
  • Older people hospital care improvement assurance and inspections
  • Healthcare environment inspections
  • Management, monitoring and inspections in relation to health and care staffing

Directorate for Chief Medical Officer

• Pharmacy and Medicines division
  • Medicines Branch

Directorate for Population Health

• Chief Dental Officer and dentistry
• Primary Care
  • Contract and implementation

Directorate for health finance, corporate governance & value

• Health finance and infrastructure
  • Internal financial performance
  • External financial performance
  • Organisational sustainability and value

Directorate for health performance and delivery

• Elective and unscheduled care
  • Unscheduled care national programme
  • Scottish Access Collaborative

Education, Communities and Justice Directorates:

Justice Directorate

Key mechanisms

Mechanism	Purpose	Frequency
Annual Review	To hold HIS publicly to account for performance	Annual
Mid-Year Review	To assess progress against the Annual Review actions and Operational Plan	Annual
Strategic Meetings between Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Scottish Government	To discuss progress against the strategy of HIS and to share key issues from SG	Quarterly
Sponsor meetings	Regular meetings between the SG sponsor division and HIS to discuss progress in relation to operational delivery and to highlight opportunities and concerns.	Monthly
Finance Meetings	SG provide funding to HIS throughout the year through the allocations system. The HIS Director of Finance attends the monthly Directors of Finance meeting and further meetings are held with Health Finance as required to discuss the HIS financial position and arising finance issues.	Monthly Director of Finance Meetings Further meetings with Health Finance as required