Coming Home Action Plan 2026
The action plan provides an update on progress to date, addresses the outstanding recommendations from the Coming Home Implementation Report, and sets out further actions required to achieve the Coming Home vision and mission.
Joint Foreword
“The Scottish Government and COSLA want every person with learning disabilities and complex care needs in Scotland to be well supported to live in their community, close to their family and friends. We know that for every day spent unnecessarily in hospital or living far from home, a person loses part of their connection with their home and loved ones. We also know that the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Making action focused progress for people who are delayed discharge, or in inappropriate out-of-area placements, is an important part of the broader work we are doing to try and turn things around for this community.
Following the publication of The Mental Welfare Commission Report “Hospital is not a Home” and the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s “Tick Tock” Report, we jointly established a Short Life Working Group to look at how we can implement the outstanding recommendations in the 2022 Coming Home Implementation Report.
We extend our warm thanks to every member of the Short Life Working Group and the sub-groups for their time and commitment to developing this joint Coming Home Action Plan. The action plan reports on progress made to deliver the Coming Home Implementation Report and provides a roadmap for further actions. These actions are designed to ensure that people do not spend unnecessary time in hospital when they are medically fit for discharge, or in inappropriate out-of-area placements far from their family and community, and that alternatives are available to ensure that people do not end up in those situations in the first place.
Progress has been made on this agenda and we will continue to maintain a focus on ensuring that the outcomes in the original Coming Home Report are achieved. There are real challenges in achieving this, including the extremely challenging fiscal environment in which all public services are working and will require strong joint partnership working across all sectors. COSLA and Scottish Government are giving a commitment that we are fully signed up to making this happen.
Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing
Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care
Contact
Email: Carolyn.Wales@gov.scot