Our strategic ambitions

Already, we’re starting to see some real success, but we know change doesn’t happen over night. That’s why we will be continuing to deliver our strategic ambitions over the next three years, and are focusing on four key areas, which are outlined below.

Listening and Connecting

We want to help put people in control of their own health and wellbeing and empower them with the resources, tools and the support needed to live well. So, we are focusing on prevention and early intervention and connecting people back into their communities and networks.

We are continuing to roll-out our three conversations approach, which aims to change the way we work with people, focusing on having better conversations and helping people to remain independent.

We are working hard to create thriving, healthy and empowered communities across the city. We are working in partnership with local community groups to develop collaborative new approaches to supporting and funding local priorities.

We are also looking to maximise the use of digital and technology to support people to remain independent.

Working intensively with those in crisis

For those who are in crisis situations and need our immediate support, we are working to improve pathways from acute to community settings and improve interventions and outcomes.

We know we already work well with people in crisis situations but it’s important that we also enable people to get care at ‘Home First’ if that’s what’s best for them.

The Home First approach helps people avoid admission to hospital unless it is really necessary and supports them to return home quickly as soon as it is safe for them to do so. We are also working to develop services and supports that give people the opportunity to be treated at home or in a homely setting wherever possible, focusing on the recovery setting that’s right for the individual.

Building a good life

While we continue to support people through prevention, early intervention approaches wherever possible, we know that some people will continue to need longer term support.

We are transforming our home-based and bed-based care services to support people to remain independent for as long as possible at home or in a homely setting and ensure that everyone experiences good quality outcomes.

A key part of this work is the Edinburgh Wellbeing Pact. This Pact is an informal agreement between EHSCP and the people of Edinburgh. It will bring together everyone’s ideas about how we can all support and care for ourselves, family, friends and our communities in the best way – and ultimately create a healthier, happier and more caring city.

Enablers

And finally, to allow all this to happen, we know there are cross-cutting enablers that will help us deliver the Transformation Programme.

We are already implementing a range of transformative changes to the way we deliver our services in light of shifting demand, and we need to provide staff with the skills, support, and tools to continue to do their job well. We want to make best use of what digital can do for our services and the people we support to increase capacity and move to a flexible modern approach.

Our workforce is key to delivering these changes, so we are developing an ambitious and overarching workforce strategy to help support a skilled and sustainable workforce.