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Social care: Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation

Overview

The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR) is looking at how social care services are regulated and inspected across social care support services in Scotland.

It will ensure scrutiny keeps up with an evolving landscape and changing skills required of the workforce. It will also consider the interactions with community health, and other services which support people.

IRISR will ensure a human rights and person-centred approach is central to the inspection and regulation of social care and will consider how this can be applied across linked services.

IRISR will also consider how regulation and inspection of social care and related services can deliver improved outcomes for people within a regulatory framework that meets the needs of the planned National Care Service (NCS).

The final scope of the NCS has not yet been defined, so for that reason the review has the option to explore all aspects of support and services that are outlined in the NCS Bill. The IRISR is not a review of the current regulatory and improvement organisations.

Chair and Vice-Chair

Dame Sue Bruce has been appointed as the Chair of the IRISR and is supported by Stuart Currie who is Vice Chair.

Scope

The review is independent of the Scottish Government and commenced in October 2022 and will culminate in the delivery of an independent report in June 2023.

The IRISR will:

  • explore how regulation and inspection of social care services and partners who contribute to care and wellbeing can be effectively supported to improve outcomes and experiences for the people of Scotland
  • ensure regulation, scrutiny and inspection of social care arrangements have a basis in human rights
  • ensure appropriate scrutiny of all aspects of the NCS

A programme of stakeholder engagement will help inform the findings of the review.

More information about the programme can be found at: Social Care: Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation in Scotland - call for evidence.

Terms of reference

The key aims are:

  • make recommendations as to how inspection, scrutiny and regulation of social care, and linked services, have a basis in human rights and trauma informed practice, is inclusive of people with lived and living experience and how best to ensure continuous improvement is standard practice
  • consider what the inspection, scrutiny and regulation of social care, and linked services landscape needs to look like to ensure it meets the requirements of the National Care Service (NCS)
  • consider how any new arrangements will meet the needs of and interface with services that are not part of the NCS
  • ensure that any new approach to inspection, scrutiny and regulation of social care, and linked services is future proofed and flexible
  • consider what data will be needed for regulation and improvement and how data sharing can be improved, standardised and tied into wider work considering the data requirements for the NCS in line with the UKGDPR
  • be inclusive of wide ranging engagement with stakeholders including people with lived and living experience and unpaid carers
  • consider if there is a need for an independent scrutiny body for inspection and regulation of social care and support services in Scotland similar to that of the Professional Standards Authority in England or otherwise, taking account of the reserved nature of professional regulation of the clinical professions.
  • complete the Independent Review and publish findings and make such recommendations you think appropriate across all considered areas and any other recommendations as you consider appropriate in accessible formats

Timescales

The review started in October 2022 and will finish in June 2023 when the independent report will be published.

Secretariat and sponsorship agreements

Secretariat support for the Chair and Vice chair is provided by the Regulation and Improvement Unit of Social Care and NCS Development Directorate.

Call for evidence and stakeholder engagement

The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR) launched a call for evidence on 24 October 2022, to get the widest possible range of views, as this will be essential to the success of the IRISR to ensure social care support services can continually improve now and in the future. The call for evidence closed on 13 January 2023.

Read more at: Social Care: Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation in Scotland - call for evidence.

An easy read version of the consultation is available.

A copy of the privacy policy is available on request from IRISR@gov.scot. The easy read version is linked from the bottom of this page.

Advisory panels

The review is supported by an Independent Review Panel (IRP) and a Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel (PSP) appointed by the Chair. The panels will strengthen and assist the IRISR by providing specialist advice to inform any recommendations the Chair makes. The panels include people with living and lived experience as well as those working in services.

You can access information and minutes of the monthly meetings of the panels here.

Independent Review Panel

 

The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR) will be supported by an Independent Review Panel, alongside a Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel.

The role of the Independent Review Panel is to provide advice and guidance to Dame Sue Bruce as the Chair, to inform any recommendations she may make.

Membership of the panel reflects the key policy areas covered by the Independent Review, but if she feels it is necessary, the Chair may appoint new members to the panel to ensure full representation.

The panel will meet monthly and an action note of each meeting will be uploaded onto the IRISR webpage. 

The members of this panel are:

  • David Strang CBE, QPM
  • Gordon Black MB, ChB, FRCGP, DRCOG, DCH, MSc
  • Lee Knifton
  • Lillian Cringles
  • Megan Moffat
  • Neelam Bakshi
  • Paul Redfern CMIIA, CIA, QIAL, MSc
  • Satjit Singh FRSA
  • Professor Kate Sang​​​

Read the terms of reference for the Independent Review Panel.

Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel

 

The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR) will be supported by a Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel, alongside the Independent Review Panel.

The role of the Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel is to provide advice and guidance to Dame Sue Bruce as the Chair, to inform any recommendations she may make.

Membership of the panel reflects the key policy areas covered by the Independent Review, but if she feels it is necessary, the Chair may appoint new members to the panel to ensure full representation.

The panel will meet monthly and an action note of each meeting will be uploaded onto the IRISR webpage. 

The members of this panel include people from the following organisations or groups:

  • Adoption UK
  • British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
  • Care Home Relatives Group
  • Carer Centres Managers Network 
  • Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)
  • Coalition of Carers in Scotland
  • Coalition of Care and Support Providers (CCPS) 
  • Community Justice Scotland 
  • Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) 
  • Early Years Scotland (EYS)
  • Inclusion Scotland
  • National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland
  • People Led Policy Panel (PLPP)
  • Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS)
  • SACRO
  • Scottish Adoption 
  • Scottish Care
  • Scottish Childminding Association
  • Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs
  • Scottish Kinship Care Alliance 
  • Self-Directed Support Scotland
  • Shelter Scotland
  • SIAA
  • Social Work Scotland 
  • Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) 
  • The Health and Social Care Alliance (The Alliance)
  • The Promise Scotland
  • The Royal College of Nursing Scotland (RCN) 
  • The Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance Network

Read the terms of reference for the Practitioner and Stakeholder Panel.

Alternative versions of this page

If you need this in a specific format please email IRISR@gov.scot

Easy read version

View the easy read version of this page.

Documents

Policies

Contact

Email: IRISR@gov.scot

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