Reform Oversight Board: minutes November 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (chair of meeting)
• Cllr Paul Kelly, COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson (co-chair)
• Caroline Hiscox, Chief Executive, NHS Lothian
• Caroline Lamb, Director-General Health and Social Care and Chief Executive NHS Scotland, Scottish Government
• Christine McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer, Scottish Government
• Eddie Fraser, Chief Executive of East Ayrshire Council, SOLACE
• Eddie Follan, Chief Officer for Health and Social Care, COSLA
• Gregory Colgan, Chair, Community Planning Improvement Board, Dundee City Council
• John Connaghan, Chair NHS Lothian
• Linda Bauld, Chief Social Policy Advisor and PHF co-SRO, Scottish Government
• Nicola Dickie, Director of People Policy, COSLA
• Richard Foggo, Director of Population Health and PHF co-SRO
• Sara Redmond, Convenor of Voluntary Sector Collaboration Group and Chief Officer of Development, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)
• Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire 
• Stephen Gallagher, Director of Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Tim McDonnell, Director of Primary Care, Scottish Government

Apologies:        

• Donna Bell, Director of Social Care and NCS, Scottish Government
• Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government
   

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies for absence

The Chair of the meeting, Neil Gray MSP, welcomed members and noted apologies.

Introduction to the Reform Oversight Board

Mr Gray MSP extended thanks to members and attendees for joining the first meeting of the Reform Oversight Board (ROB). Mr Gray MSP explained the purpose of ROB is to deliver shared leadership, ensure whole system oversight and assurance and provide clear accountability for the delivery of long-term Health and Social Care reform and renewal. The Board will facilitate and require the sustained collaboration between national and local government through the implementation of the Population Health Framework (PHF) and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF).

Councillor Paul Kelly as Co-Chair of this Board, thanked members for their engagement in this critical piece of work, welcoming the joint approach to help drive reform locally and nationally within a challenging context. Cllr Kelly emphasised the local levers available, outside of the health service, in order to improve population health outcomes, through a whole-system approach.

Mr Gray MSP sought comments on the draft Terms of Reference. Members discussed their role in contributing evidence and data and agreed this group provides an important and appropriate role in reflecting evidence back into the portfolio. The Terms of Reference were approved subject to a title change for the Voluntary Sector Collaboration Group representative from Chair to Convenor. 

Actions: 

• To collate and present examples of local and national activity that is progressing reform gathered to date and to ensure there is a mechanism in place to provide Reform Oversight Board members with the opportunity to provide evidence and data to the programme, on an ongoing basis 
• To update the Voluntary Sector Collaboration Group representative’s title from Chair to Convenor in ROB Terms of Reference. 

Strategic vision and programme progress

A brief overview of the portfolio vision and governance was presented followed by a progress update on the PHF and the SRF. ROB members were asked to review progress to date across the long-term reform products. The COSLA representative shared an update on progress. This included coordinating engagement at a local level with partners such as Directors of Public Health and Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) to support a shared understanding of how to collectively take forward strategic reform. It was emphasised that the reform products be understood not simply as “health products” but for the whole system to support upstream action across the range of wider determinants. CPPs were recognised in particular for their unique role bringing together a range of key partners to align resources locally. 

Members were advised the Board will complement, not replace, the work of Reform Executive, PHF and SRF Programme Boards or local government structures. It will be jointly accountable to Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders. Assurance was given that programme boards for each of the three key reform products were in place and that duplication will be avoided where possible to ensure the Board acts as an effective escalation point when required. Members were encouraged to consider which elements of the work would be most relevant to ROB discussions.

Mr Gray MSP queried Trade Union representation across the Reform governance and advisory structures and was advised a further discussion is planned for 17 December 2025 to understand where staff side representation would be best reflected. Mr Gray MSP reiterated the need to ensure staff side interaction feeds into the work.

Action: to review opportunities for trade union representation within the governance structures of the health and social care reform portfolio to ensure effective avenues for participation. 

A PHF progress update was provided, outlining milestones and key deliverables. Examples of work completed and underway to support two initial priorities, the Prevention Focussed System and Improving Healthy Weight priorities, were given. Members discussed learnings from a recent gender equality tagging study, the concept of maturing as organisations to population health organisations and the challenge of demonstrating progress and impact of prevention. It was agreed a report from Glasgow University on the role of social care within a prevention focussed system would be shared with members. 

Action: to circulate a report from Glasgow University on the role of social care within a prevention focussed system. 

An overview of SRF progress to date was provided. Assurance was given that relevant governance and programme management is in place to meet programme aims, with full mobilisation of the programme completed in October 2025. Key priorities and commitments for year 1 were presented, alongside early delivery challenges. The consolidation of information to provide a once for Scotland strategic needs assessment and shared outcomes framework was confirmed as being underway. The need for engagement and support from ROB and its sub-groups, in addition to ensuring effective coordination across the major change areas, was noted as critical in helping to shape delivery. The first SRF Programme Board is scheduled to meet on 2 December 2025. 

Shared priorities – board insights and contributions

ROB members reflected on the updates provided and discussed priority areas of focus for this group, including key challenges and opportunities.

Members discussed the importance of ensuring sustained workforce engagement, and understanding the change and ways of working required to deliver the major changes and priorities set out in the long-term reform frameworks. The Board also discussed the importance of engagement within a wider learning environment.

There was discussion around the need to resolve pressures and issues by working in partnership at a local and national level. Members reflected on the necessity to deliver on the long-standing policy ambition to shift the balance of care towards community first approaches whilst optimising national and regional services, delivering care in the right place at the right time.

It was suggested that ROB has a role in understanding how prevention is measured and prioritised by different partners and should have confidence that the indicators that are measured are meaningful, including around integrated ways of working and to ensure investment is appropriately allocated.

Members shared examples of local and national level activity, which is progressing reform, noting the groups do not solely fall within health and social care (e.g. Police Scotland). It was suggested that not everyone uses the same language but are absolutely committed to the reform principles. The group discussed the need to be aware of the work underway, and the opportunity for learning they provide. It was suggested learnings from these examples should be filtered into ROB in future.

Any other business 

No additional items were raised by members

The date of the next Reform Oversight Board meeting is to be agreed.

Mr Gray MSP thanked members for their attendance and contributions before closing the meeting.