🌐 Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP)
Discovery Pack – Easy Guide
1️⃣ Introduction
This learning pack gives a simple overview of how Health & Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) work in Scotland. It explains the role of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), Localities, and how services are planned and delivered across communities.
It is designed for staff, volunteers, community partners, and learners who want a clear understanding of integrated health and social care.
2️⃣ What Is a Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP)? 🤝
A Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is a formal partnership between a Local Authority and an NHS Board, created under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.
⭐ Purpose of HSCPs
🧭 Plan and deliver integrated services
💙 Improve health and wellbeing
🔗 Provide smoother, more coordinated care
🧑🤝🧑 Support communities with joined-up health and social care
📌 What Sits Under the HSCP?
HSCPs oversee a wide range of delegated community health and social care services, including:
👩⚕️ Adult Social Care
👶 Children’s Social Work
🍃 Alcohol & Drug Recovery Services
🏠 Care & Support at Home
🩺 District & Community Nursing
👶⚕️ Health Visiting & School Nursing
♿ Learning Disability Services
🧠 Community Mental Health Services
👵 Older People’s Services
🌈 Palliative Care
🛡️ Public Protection
🧑⚕️ Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) – Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, etc.
3️⃣ Who Delivers HSCP Services? 👥
HSCP services are delivered by a wide, multidisciplinary workforce including:
👩💼 Social Workers
👩⚕️ Nurses
🤝 Health & Social Care Workers
🧑⚕️ AHPs (e.g., physiotherapists, OTs)
🗂️ Administrative & Support Staff
🧡 Voluntary & Independent Sector Providers
🏘️ Commissioned Services such as care at home and residential care
⚠️ Important:
GPs and hospital staff are not employed by HSCPs.
4️⃣ What Are Independent Contractors? 🏥
Some key healthcare professionals work as independent contractors, meaning they are not NHS employees but deliver services under NHS contracts.
These include:
👨⚕️ GPs
😁 Dentists
👓 Optometrists
💊 Pharmacists
GPs play a vital role in locality planning and community care.
5️⃣ What Is the Acute Sector? 🏥💡
The Acute Sector refers to hospital-based NHS services, such as:
🚑 Emergency Care
🛏️ Inpatient Services
🧬 Specialist Hospital Care
These are managed by NHS Boards, not HSCPs.
HSCPs support the Acute Sector by:
🏡 Helping people return home safely
🚫 Preventing unnecessary hospital admissions
6️⃣ What Is a Locality? 📍
A Locality is a defined community area within an HSCP, used to plan and organise services around local needs.
🎯 Purpose of Locality Planning
Bring together services, GPs, third-sector groups, and communities
Shape services around local needs
Support Scotland’s Planning with People approach
Strengthen community voices and decision-making
7️⃣ What Is the Integration Joint Board (IJB)? 🧩
The IJB is the legal body responsible for overseeing the HSCP.
The IJB Is Responsible For:
🗺️ Planning health & social care services
💷 Managing delegated budgets
🎯 Setting strategic priorities
📈 Ensuring high-quality integrated care
Delegated Services Include:
🩺 Primary Care
🧑🤝🧑 Social Care
The IJB ensures that integration leads to better outcomes for local people.
8️⃣ Why Does Integration Matter? 🌱
Integration aims to:
💙 Improve health & wellbeing
🔄 Reduce duplication
👤 Support person-centred, coordinated care
🚑 Reduce crises and prevent hospital admissions
🏡 Help people live independently at home for longer
9️⃣ Contact Information 📬
For locality feedback, questions, or engagement:
Your Voice Inverclyde: enquiries@yourvoice.org.uk
East Locality: eastlpg@inverclyde.gov.uk
West Locality: westlpg@inverclyde.gov.uk
🔟More Information 🧭
Involve Inverclyde works within a broader Scottish framework of community empowerment, partnership working, and public engagement. Below are key documents that explain how community voice, collaboration, and local decision‑making fit together on a national level:
📄 Statutory guidance: Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 – This collection sets out how health and social care bodies are required to work together and how integration is structured.
📍 Localities guidance – July 2015 – This guidance explores how local “place‑based” approaches and localities are used to engage communities in planning and service delivery.
👥 Planning with People: Community Engagement & Participation Guidance – Updated 2024 – This sets out how NHS boards, local authorities, and partnerships should involve people and communities when shaping services.
