Health and Social Care

Nursing working in nursing home image

Health and Social Care Team

COSLA’s Health and Social Care Team works at the interface between Scottish local government and NHS Scotland. Our political lobbying function is to develop policies and political strategies that promote the position of local government in helping individuals and families to improve their health and well-being.

Spokesperson (TBC)

Main policy areas

  • Joint accountability with Scottish Government for key policy initiatives, including Free Personal Care, Shifting the Balance of Care and on Health Inequalities
  • Developing the contribution of unpaid care and volunteering to the improvement of health and social care
  • Developing high quality commissioning and more efficient care procurement
  • Ensuring people have choice and control over their care, and developing the principles of co-production and public engagement
  • Working towards a less cluttered scrutiny landscape
  • Identifying and addressing emerging resource pressures
  • Consolidating the relationship between local government and the NHS

Team Functions

The team works to advance the interests of local government in the field of health and social care. Its work is guided by a number of priorities in order to protect and enhance councils’ democratic control of health and social care services; ensure that councils are properly resourced to deliver social care services; and to form strategic partnerships in the design of a sustainable health and social care system that improves the health and well-being of individuals and communities.  The team also aims to bring major themes around the health and well-being agenda to public attention, and through its Health and Wellbeing Executive Group,  works with key stakeholders to ensure that the delivery of health and social care services across the public sector is accountable to service users and the electorate more broadly.