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.