Scottish Approach to Service Design

What would good look like?

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing democratic engagement by creating meaningful ways for people to get involved in making decisions. That engagement is also key to building services and support around people and their lives.

Major life events, such as starting a family, education, buying a home, getting a job or setting up a business, accessing health and social care support, and retirement, require multiple interactions with a variety of services. These interactions sometimes cross a number of sectors (national and local government, the NHS, the third sector etc.). It can be difficult for people to navigate multiple organisations or sectors, just as it can be difficult for organisations and sectors to work together to integrate services.

It’s also important to remember that people may also experience specific circumstances or barriers that make it more difficult to access the services and support they need.

The Scottish Approach to Service Design provides an opportunity to redesign services around people, by making sure that people’s whole lives, and the relationships that are important to them, are considered in policy and service design.

Better outcomes

Working together, we can design more responsive public services by looking at the whole spectrum of needs around a person and their support network, family and community, understanding different pathways and emotional contexts. This not only improves the quality and efficiency of services, but improves outcomes for people. This is especially important for people trying to access services during stressful periods of change.

Providing targeted assistance at times of greatest need, and delivering the very best experience, will ultimately improve trust in public services and government.