The Scottish government says it will review the way service users and the third sector shape the policies and decisions of Scotland’s 31 Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) – but has confirmed there are no plans to change the way they are funded.

In a move that effectively marks the end of the road for a National Care Service for Scotland, the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur MSP, has stated that there are 'currently no plans to review the funding arrangements for integration joint boards'.

The statement, in a written parliamentary answer, confirms that the current set-up whereby funding for health and social care partnerships is allocated to IJBs by NHS boards and local councils will remain unchanged.

This comes despite an increasing number of partnerships reporting significant financial problems.

Under the now-abandoned national care service bill, ministers had planned to create separate care boards which were to be funded directly by the Scottish government.

Instead, the government has set up an interim advisory board to advise on the future shape of social care reforms.

The social care minister, however, revealed that the way non-voting members on boards currently feed into discussions is to be reconsidered.

Representatives of the third sector, carers and service users sit on each IJB alongside the chief officer and chief social worker for the partnership, a chief medical officer, nursing director, local GP and staff side representative.

However, currently, under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) Scotland Act 2014, only IJB members appointed by the NHS board and local councils can vote.

This inequity has left some representatives feeling their inclusion is ‘tokenistic’, and that they have no meaningful way to reflect the voices of service users and carers in decisions taken by the board.

In answer to a separate written question from one of his predecessors, Kevin Stewart MSP, Mr Arthur said the government is to review the way ‘the voices of lived experience’ are represented on IJBS:

‘The Scottish government are committed to supporting the role of lived experience on IJBs, to help amplify those voices and improve integration of those insights.

‘We will review the statutory guidance and the approval of integration schemes to ensure the voice of lived experience is heard and to increase accountability.

‘Engaging with service users, unpaid carers, and representatives from the third sector and IJBs will help make the guidance more relevant and responsive to community needs.’

The response does not give any indication of when the review will start or report back.

 

Read more: Edinburgh IJB faces judicial review over cuts; Fixing social care funding must be council “priority”; Lived experience at centre of care advisory group; A timeline of Scotland’s National Care Service; Holyrood passes Care Reform Bill; Carers charities urge greater transparency in reforms

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