Common use of Other Drivers for Change Clause in Contracts

Other Drivers for Change. The proposals set out in this Initial Agreement respond to several national and local strategies and a summary of these is attached at Appendix SC13. The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan published in December 2016 by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, brought into sharp focus the urgent need to address the rising demands and challenges facing the NHS in Scotland. Audit Scotland also prepared a Report ‘‘NHS in Scotland 2017” (October 2017) which further described how the NHS is under pressure with the need for change and longer- term planning, particularly regarding workforce. The ▇▇▇▇▇▇ report (February 2021) and recent announcement of the National Care Service will shape our proposals going forward. NHS Highland’s Quality and Sustainability Plan published in May 2017 reflected our local context around the challenges to sustain and transform services. This included reference to the need to redesign services in Caithness. It also set out several goals and principles that underpin the proposed redesign and transformation of services. • Providing services and facilities which meet 21st Century health and social care needs; • Providing high quality, integrated and cost-effective services; • Reducing waste and inefficiency across services; and • Ensuring that services are sustainable. • Support for people to stay at home for longer; • Supporting people and communities to be more independent and resilient; • Increased choice for end-of-life care; • Greater embedding of realistic medicine principles; • Greater integration, co-location, and co-ordination of care; • Greater Regional collaboration and solutions; • Greater use of technology; • Reduction in the length of time people spend in institutional care; • Reduction in unnecessary attendances and appointments; and • Reduction in waste, harm, and unwarranted variation. The changes flowing from implementing our strategic vision and plan therefore require us to remodel our care pathways, workforce and our assets. It was highlighted that, over time, this would bring about a planned reduction in the number of staff working in traditional hospital settings. Services would instead be provided by co-located teams from fewer sites, in modern, strategically placed buildings. Such a transition would support more people to be looked after at home or in a homely setting. The new model will ensure service sustainability and will deliver services capable of meeting future demand.