Interim National Care Service Advisory Board: Advice to Scottish Ministers and Council Leaders - Getting it Right for Everyone
The Interim National Care Service Advisory Board identified Getting it Right for Everyone as a priority theme for their consideration. The advice and recommendations have been prepared for Scottish Ministers and Council Leaders to help drive improvement and ensure consistency across Scotland.
Background
GIRFE was co-designed and rigorously tested across Scotland from December 2022 to December 2024. This collaborative approach brought together: 9 health and social care partnerships, system leaders and professionals from health, social care, social work and government policy areas. GIRFE has been shaped by the experiences of people and families who rely on these services and guided by expert oversight from medical, nursing, social work and Allied Health Professional (AHP) advisors. It meaningfully puts people with lived experience at the heart of Scotland’s adult practice model.
GIRFE represents a fundamental shift in how Scotland’s health and social care system operates. It enables the move away from fragmented, service-led approaches toward a person-led, integrated model that prioritises what matters most to individuals.
By embedding collaborative person-led approaches across health, social care, social work and wider public services, GIRFE can reduce duplication, improve efficiency and ensure timely, holistic support and improved outcomes for people.
This approach improves the overall experience for individuals, ensuring that care is more accessible, coordinated and respectful. It also reinforces the long-term sustainability of the system by optimising existing resources and aligning with national policy objectives. Practice examples from areas embedding GIRFE show earlier and more effective interventions, significantly better outcomes for people, and their families, and better experiences for those who work in the system.
GIRFE translates the statutory expectations of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, specifically co-production, integration, early intervention, and outcome focus, into practical, locally deployable tools and principles.
GIRFE is a mandated element of NHS annual delivery plans for 2025/26 and it is also part of the Health & Social Care Service Renewal Framework 2025-2035.
GIRFE supports and enables HSCPs and NHS Boards to translate strategic intent into practice.
Contact
Email: NCSAdvisoryBoard@gov.scot