Engagement Annual Reporting
Argyll and Bute Council · 19 November 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 19 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Meeting: Integration Joint Board Date of Meeting: 19 November 2025 Title of Report: Engagement Annual Reporting Presented by: Alison McGrory, Associate Director of Public Health The IJB is asked to: ▪ Note the engagement annual plan in line with national guidance Planning with People with recognition of levels of engagement required by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. ▪ Note the range of areas of engagement, all of which are classed as “service change” rather than “major service change” in accordance with Planning with People. ▪ Note the updated Engagement Framework outlining the HSCP’s statutory responsibilities for engagement. ▪ Note the updated direction of travel for Locality Planning in Argyll and Bute. 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The HSCP recognises the importance of effective approaches to engagement and communication to ensure all our stakeholders are informed about our health and social care activities and have the opportunity to be involved in sharing their views in meaningful ways. This paper provides an update to the IJB on: • The annual engagement plan for 2025-2026 • The updated Engagement Framework for the HSCP completed in 2025 in line with Planning with People 2024 • Proposals for meaningful engagement in localities for health and social care planning 2. RECOMMENDATIONS The IJB is asked to note the content of this report and recognise the efforts made by HSCP officers to work with all our stakeholders, which includes, staff, partners, unpaid carers, people who use our services and the wider public. This work will ensure people are informed about developments and changes taking place and have the opportunity to share their views. 3. DETAIL OF REPORT 3.1 Annual engagement plan for 2025-2026 The HSCP prepares an annual plan of the range of engagement activity carried out across all our services. This is shared with the IJB to give assurances of how and where engagement is being carried out. There are a wide range of
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2 engagement activities listed across all services; this is a live and iterative document. The plan will not necessarily capture the daily engagement that takes place alongside service delivery. Engagement activity in the annual plan has underpinning detailed mechanisms in place which includes clarity about how the engagement feedback will be used and the decision-making process for informing service development or change. Outcomes of engagement activity are reported retrospectively in the HSCP’s Annual Performance Report. Planning for People is guidance for providers of health and social care in Scotland to ensure effective engagement with everyone affected by their service delivery. It applies to integrated authorities for the health aspects of services and for where health is a component of integrated services. Planning with People was updated in 2024 to clarify the requirements for how service change is planned and put into effect and the governance around this. There was already guidance in place for Major Service Change1 which includes a formal notice period and ministerial sign-off. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) provides oversight and guidance for clarity where a proposed change is major or not. None of the areas of engagement for 2025 - 2026 are considered major by HIS. Whether an engagement activity is major or not is determined by eight areas including removing a service or changing how a service is delivered; the number of people affected; financial implications; consequences for other services; and political/public concern. The more factors of note, the more likely the change will be classes as major. The HSCP has a good relationship with national engagement colleagues and is works with HIS to fulfil the requirements of Planning with People. This involves their oversight of the annual engagement plan to provide oversight and assurance that guidance on service change is being met. 3.2 Argyll and Bute HSCP’s Engagement Framework The HSCP sets out the strategic direction of engagement in the Engagement Framework. This was updated in 2025 to reflect the Planning with People requirements. Oversight was provided by the Strategic Engagement Reference Group. The new strategy has been published here: Public engagement in Argyll and Bute HSCP | NHS Highland 3.3 Locality Planning Groups Locality Planning Groups (LPGs) were set up in Scotland to support Health and Social Care Partnerships with the development of locality plans for health and social care. Argyll and Bute has utilised different formats for LPGs since 2016. The most recent inception was set up in 2022 following the pandemic. By last year there was a sense of these groups not achieving the core intention of planning with most of the meeting time taken up with questions about local services. A review was conducted in autumn 2024 and this was explored by the four LPGs in spring 2025. The Strategic Planning Group agreed that the next 1 Guidance on identifying major health service changes | HIS Engage
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3 round of LPGs in the autumn could involve two meetings, one in the west and one in the east. This will be reviewed with a view to developing ongoing models. 4. RELEVANT DATA AND INDICATORS Nothing relevant to this paper. 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC PRIORITIES The activity in this paper supports delivery of the following strategic objective for the HSCP set out originally in the 2016 – 2019 Strategic Plan and reinforced in the later iterations, namely: We will underpin our arrangements by putting in place a clear, communication and engagement arrangements involving our staff, users, the public and stakeholders. 6. GOVERNANCE IMPLICATIONS Governance of engagement activity takes place by annual tabling of a prospective action plan to the IJB and retrospective reporting of activity via the HSCP’s Annual Performance Report. 6.1 Financial Impact There are no financial impacts inherent in the activity in this paper. 6.2 Staff Governance Health and social care staff are supported to deliver engagement processes outlined in the Engagement Framework by the Public Health Team. Effective engagement is a core competency of the Public Health workforce as set out in the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework. The HSCP does not have a dedicated engagement team like some areas of Scotland, however we are exploring creating a secondment opportunity in line with a similar NHS post in the Highland Council region. 6.3 Clinical Governance There are no clinical governance issues in this paper. 7. PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY Oversight of the HSCP’s approach to communication and engagement is provided by the Senior Leadership Team and the Strategic Planning Group 8. EQUALITY & DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS The HSCP’s Engagement Framework has been written from the perspective of inclusion, fairness and equity. The Framework recognises the importance of using a range of techniques and approaches in order to ensure anyone has the opportunity to access information and take part in engagement activities. There is specific attention to “seldom heard voices”; accessible methods; and ensuring findings from engagement activities are fed back to the people who contributed, referred to as “You said, we did/we will do.” 8. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE There are no GDPR issues within this paper. 9. RISK ASSESSMENT There are no risks inherent in the content of this paper. Community engagement has previously been identified as a risk in the HSCP risk register, for example, there is a requirement to comply with statutory guidance from Scottish Government, and working with stakeholders results in more effective
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4 service delivery. The Engagement Framework seeks to mitigate organisational risks. 10. PUBLIC & USER INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT The HSCP’s approach to engagement is overseen by a Strategic Engagement Reference Group with membership from Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the TSI, the IJB, NHS Highland’s communications team and community representatives. 11. CONCLUSIONS The HSCP recognises the importance of effective communication and engagement approaches both in relation to satisfying the requirements of Planning with People and in relation to developing ongoing and productive relationships with our stakeholders. We recognise that services developed and delivered in a co-productive and partnership way are more effective at meeting the needs of the people who use these services. 12. DIRECTIONS Directions required to Council, NHS Board or both. Directions to: tick No Directions required x Argyll & Bute Council NHS Highland Health Board Argyll & Bute Council and NHS Highland Health Board 13. PREVIOUS REVIEW OF THE REPORT Meeting Title of report Date Output (if relevant) Strategic Engagement Reference Group Planning with People Self- Evaluation 13.8.25 Engagement improvement plan (in progress) Strategic Planning Group As above 21.8.25 Oversight of engagement improvement plan REPORT AUTHOR AND CONTACT Author Name: Alison McGrory Email: alison.mcgrory@nhs.scot
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5 Appendix 1 Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Communications Annual Report 2023-24 1. Introduction The Communications Annual Report for 2023-24 outlines how the HSCP has been communicating timely, relevant and accurate information over the last year and how this links in with the HSCP’s visions, aims and priorities for health and social care services in Argyll and Bute as detailed in the Joint Strategic Plan 2022-25. The communications activity listed in this paper also has at its heart the key goals of articulating the organisation’s policies, decisions and procedures; engaging and building trust with staff, partners, stakeholders, people who use our services and the wider public as well as protecting the reputation of the organisation. The Annual Report also contains a summary of some of the key activities that have been carried out by the Communications Team over the last year. 2. Communication Principles There are a number of key principles that continue to guide the HSCP’s communications activity at all times and define the professionalism of the organisation and these are to be: • honest, open and accurate • clear, simple and user-friendly • timely, current and relevant. It is also a key principle that the HSCP’s communications activity and messages are tailored and targeted to the appropriate audience and a wide range of communication channels were utilised over the last year to achieve this aim. 3. Governance Protocols To ensure that the HSCP follows the principles outlined above there are strict governance protocols in place whereby HSCP communications is approved by the relevant senior manager and if appropriate by the Chief Officer. The Communications Team is also the first point of access for any media enquiries and will prepare a response, if one is required, in discussion with the relevant manager. Once approved this will be provided to the media either from an HSCP spokesperson or a named HSCP individual where this is appropriate. HSCP staff/senior managers will also on occasion receive media enquiries and they are aware that these should be redirected to the Communications Team for any response. The above protocols are essential to protect staff and the reputation of the organisation.
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6 4. Key Audiences It is important to determine the relevant audience for any communication activity to ensure that the content is tailored and targeted accordingly. The list below details some of the key audiences that the HSCP communicates with on a regular basis. Key Audiences Staff (NHS & Council) People who use our services (patients, carers, public) Integration Joint Board members Elected Members (councillors, MPs, MSPs) Scottish Government The media (local and national) Community Planning Partners Third Sector Independent Sector Community Councils Local Community Groups Living Well Networks 5. Communication Channels A wide range of communication channels are used to meet the needs of different target audiences and to ensure that the messages are distributed as widely as possible whilst allowing them to be tailored for the specific audience. Detailed below are some of the main channels. Communication Channels Webpages Media Enquiries Proactive Media Articles HSCP Digital Media Platforms (e.g. Facebook) Locality Digital Media Platforms Internal Communications Briefings Surveys Stakeholder Update Intranet Weekly Round Up (Staff Communications) Staff/Public Noticeboards GP Bulletin 6. Communications Team Projects/Activities The Communications Team is represented on the HSCP’S Strategic Leadership Team, attends the Integration Joint Board and provides advice to senior managers and staff on a regular basis. Over the last year the Team has been involved in a range of projects/activities and some of the key ones are listed below.
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7 6.1 Proactive Communications There has been a targeted proactive communications approach over the last year in relation to issuing press releases and placing local features. These are aimed more at quality rather than quantity and are much more focused and have highlighted among other things the good work of HSCP staff, the services provided and the aims and visions outlined within the Strategic Plan. Examples of recent press releases include the following: Heartstart CPR and Defibrillator Awareness Training and Celebrating the Success of Community Link Working 6.2 Strategic Plan Close working has been continuing with the members of the Planning Team in relation to the ongoing promotion and marketing of the visions, aims and priorities of the HSCP as outlined in the Joint Strategic Plan. 6.3 Vaccination Programmes There have been ongoing public information campaigns, both at Board and national levels, in relation to the importance of eligible members of the public being vaccinated for various diseases such as flu and Covid. The Communications Team have been working closely with the CTAC (Community Treatment and Care) teams to promote key messages on social media and in the local press. 6.4 Recruitment The Communications Team have been working with workforce planning, recruitment and the People Partner to introduce more innovative ways of promoting Argyll and Bute which it was hoped would assist in attracting staff to live and work in the area. This has included the development of a new recruitment Facebook page, promotion of the abplace2b.scot website, developing case studies of staff for marketing purposes (view an example here) and the display of a number of recruitment posters on key CalMac ferry routes. 6.5 Training/Upskilling Training has been provided to managers and staff across a number of areas including social media, developing communication plans and graphic design. This has provided them with the additional tools to carry out their work and the Communications Team has also been available to provide any additional advice/support as and when required. 6.6 Digital Media Digital media, such as Facebook, has been used to increase the visibility of the organisation within local communities. This has assisted in a wide range of areas such as promoting job opportunities (please see example here), health improvement/self-management advice and support, local events and service developments. 6.7 Internal Communications Working closely with the Chief Officer to further develop regular engagement with staff through the use all user staff emails and Chief Officer staff bulletins. 6.8 Other Projects/Activities There are a number of other pieces of work that the Communications Team has been working on over the last year and some of these are listed below.
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8 • Assisting with the preparation of the Chief Officer Report for the IJB • Positing social media messages during Integration Joint Board meetings • Providing content for the NHS Highland Weekly Stakeholder Update • Arranging media interviews when required • Maintaining the HSCP webpages • Participating in the NHS Highland Press Office On Call Rota • Working with the Public Health team on key messages • Linking in with Argyll and Bute Council communications team on a number of projects • Communicating the HSCP’s budget challenges • Attending Incident Management Team meetings • Monitoring the HSCP’s generic email address • Responding to instant messages on social media • Working on suicide prevention campaigns • Providing communications support to the Transformation Board • Monitoring the media across print, broadcast and online and keeping senior managers informed of anything relevant to the organisation • Linking in with Third Sector colleagues • Working with dental/oral health teams on a range of projects and initiatives • Providing Photography Support • Supporting Argyll and Bute commissioned services • Marketing national awareness days • Providing support to the Attracting the Workforce Group • Supporting local HSCP volunteering initiatives (see a recent press release here) • Involved in a range of standalone campaigns including ‘The Broons’ keeping active campaign, Power of Attorney and SilverCloud (online mental health service) • Working closely with the Scottish Government on a range of national initiatives and campaigns • Supporting HSCP led community events • Supporting the use of various digital apps such as Sleepio (treatment for insomnia) 7. Key Communication Statistics for 2023-24
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9 8. Communications Team The HSCP has a dedicated Communications Team who support the Integration Joint Board, Senior Leadership Team and HSCP staff. They work closely with communication colleagues, both in NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Council, and link in on a regular basis with the Scottish Government and partners such as Police Scotland. The Team is a specialist resource that is the first point of contact for all media enquiries and for staff in relation to advice on communications issues. They also have a role in supporting and up-skilling staff to develop local proactive communication approaches including the use of local social media platforms. Communications Team contact details: David Ritchie, Communications Manager, david.ritchie5@nhs.scot Elaine Booth, Communications Officer, elaine.booth3@nhs.scot