Engaging Communities
People in Scotland have a right to take part in decisions about their health and wellbeing.
The Charter of Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities encourages people to take part in decisions about their health and wellbeing. The Health and Social Care Standards also require that people are fully included in meaningful ways.
Health and social care services have a legal responsibility to involve people in the design, delivery and evaluation of local services.
Our role is to support health and social care providers to gather and understand the diverse range of views, opinions and experiences. That way, they can work together with you to deliver better quality care services in Scotland. We also gather views on behalf of the Scottish Government to help inform and shape policy. People should be involved at all stages in a process, so that they can influence how services are designed and delivered.
Why Engage?
We believe that engaging people and communities in decisions about health and care services improves things for everyone.
Find out moreEngaging with...
When planning any engagement activity, it is vital to consider the needs of the people and communities. What barriers may a particular community face, and how can you overcome them?
Find out moreQuality Framework
Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate have worked with stakeholders to develop a Quality Framework for Community Engagement and Participation.
Find out moreVoices Scotland Training
Voices Scotland is a free and flexible workshop that supports individuals and groups to explore health and social care issues that are important to them.
Find out moreHow You Can Get Involved
There are many ways you can be involved and use your skills and time to shape health and care services in Scotland.
Find out moreWhy You Should Get Involved
Information about the difference that community engagement can make in health and care, with examples of improvements and changes that have happened
Find out moreEngagement Practitioners Network
The Engagement Practitioners Network is a supportive collaboration for engagement professionals in health and care to share experiences, learning and ideas.
Find out moreEngaging Differently
How can we adapt community engagement so that it remains possible and meaningful in the midst of physical distancing restrictions and the global pandemic?
Find out moreParticipation Toolkit
The Participation Toolkit suggests a range of tools, guidance and resources which can be useful for planning community engagement.
Find out moreParticipation Groups
A Participation Group is a public or community-led group that can be linked to a particular health and social care topic, service, organisation or geographical area.
Find out more