Working in partnership with scrutiny bodies: advice note

3. Scrutiny of health and social care integration

3.1 A number of scrutiny bodies have an interest in how the health and social care agenda is developing:

• The Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland through their joint inspections of health and care services and through intelligence gathered in regulatory scrutiny activities at individual service level.
  
• The Accounts Commission, as the body that will appoint auditors to Integration Joint Boards and Health Boards and Local Authorities with a lead agency approach, has an interest in financial management, governance arrangements and the extent to which the new partnerships are able to demonstrate the delivery of Best Value.
  
• The Auditor General for Scotland (alongside the Accounts Commission) has an audit interest in the extent to which health and social integration, as a significant national policy development, is being implemented at national and local level, alongside its impact on NHSScotland.

Annex A summarises the statutory basis of the organisations listed above.