Details of Scottish Care’s ethical commissioning and procurement project and other ongoing workstreams.

As a representative body, Scottish Care is continuously engaged in efforts to promote the perspective of the independent sector within the development of policy relevant to social care provision. Central to these efforts is Scottish Care’s drive towards ethical commissioning.

What is Ethical Commissioning? 

“An end to this emphasis on price and competition and to see the establishment of a more collaborative, participative and ethical commissioning framework for adult social care services and supports, squarely focused on achieving better outcomes for people using these services and improving the experience of the staff delivering them” – Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland

What was Scottish Care’s Ethical Commissioning and Procurement project?

Funded by the Scottish Government as part of their co-design process for the creation of the National Care Service (NCS), our year-long research project (October 2023 – 2024) supported the wider ambitions of ethical commissioning and procurement and the application of recommendations from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care.

By collaborating with our membership, key external stakeholders and conducting research on current commissioning and procurement practice in localities across Scotland, Scottish Care identified a range of pre-existing cases of best practice, alongside insufficient mechanisms and procedures that continue to impede the sufficient commissioning, procurement, and subsequent provision of adult social care services.

Opportunities for national scale up of the former, and recommendation to reform the latter, are detailed within our final research report, Ethical Commissioning for the Independent Sector: Rights, Respect and Redistribution.

Further Policy Development and Advocacy 

The completion of Scottish Care’s project does not signify the end of Scottish Care’s commitment to the ethical commissioning agenda.

Scottish Care’s workstream lead remains an ongoing member of the Scottish
Government’s Adult Social Care Workforce Ethical Commissioning Working Group, Procurement Short Life Working Group, and IRISS’ Ethical Commissioning Learning Partners Group.  As efforts continue to progress the NCS Bill through parliament, such workstreams represent another opportunity to ensure the insights of the independent sector are included within any upcoming reform.

Get in Touch

For any queries, please contact our Policy Lead (Ethical Commissioning), Fraser Smith, via email ([email protected]) or phone (07398 503895).