Working in partnership with scrutiny bodies: advice note

1. Introduction

1.1 The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014^[1] requires Health Boards and Local Authorities to integrate planning for, and delivery of, certain adult health and social care services. The Act requires them to prepare jointly an integration scheme setting out how this joint working is to be achieved. There is a choice of ways in which they may do this: the Health Board and Local Authority can either delegate their functions between each other, or can both delegate functions to a third body called the Integration Joint Board. Delegation between the Health Board and Local Authority is commonly referred to as a "lead agency" arrangement.

The Integration Authority for the area of the Local Authority will be established in one of these models of integration. The Act requires the Integration Authority to plan and deliver services in line with integration principles, that are set out within the Act and to contribute to the achievement of National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes that are set out in Regulations.^[2] The Integration Joint Boards that are established under the Act will be local government bodies under Section 106 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973^[3].

1.2 Alongside the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010^[4] places a duty on a range of scrutiny bodies to co-operate and coordinate their activities with each other, and to work together to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of their scrutiny of public services in Scotland.

1.3 This advice note provides a summary of the relevant work of the respective scrutiny bodies. It describes their respective powers and responsibilities and sets out how they intend to work together to ensure that a proportionate and 'joined-up' approach to the scrutiny of health and social care developments is achieved.