Engagement Reporting
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 June 2026
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Strategic Planning Group — 11 June 2026 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: Strategic Planning Group Date of Meeting: 11 June 2026 Title of Report: Engagement Reporting Presented by: Alison McGrory, Associate Director of Public Health The SPG is asked to: • Note the progress made with engagement during 2026. • Note the delivery of Locality Planning Groups in Argyll and Bute and agree to continuing with two groups for the east and west. 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 opportunity to be involved in sharing views in meaningful ways and shaping the direction of travel. This paper provides an update to the SPG on: • Locality Planning using east and west format • You Said, We Did reporting • Forthcoming training from HIS • New HSCP engagement officer • Internal audit of engagement strategy and procedures 2. RECOMMENDATIONS The SPG 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 taking place and have opportunity to share their views. Specifically, SPG is asked to: • Note the progress made with engagement during 2026. • Note the delivery of Locality Planning in Argyll and Bute and agree to continuing with two groups for the east and west. 3. DETAIL OF REPORT 3.1 Locality Planning in Argyll and Bute In 2025, the SPG agreed to trial a move to two LPGs for the east and west of Argyll and Bute. There are pros and cons of this approach, but efficient use of officer and partner time was recognised as a key deciding factor. This format began in November 2025 and subsequent meetings have taken place in January, March and May 2026. The west LPG is very well attended, the east
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2 LPG less so. Surveys have taken place to consider future agenda items and these will include: the Joint Strategic Plan, Community Link Working and the Living Well strategy. Communication links have been developed with the Community Councils and key messages are shared after each meeting. 3.2 You Said, We Did reporting The HSCP Engagement Framework recognises the importance of a feedback loop between gathering information from stakeholders, using this to inform decision making and sharing feedback with people. The feedback from the recent budget engagement exercise has been shared in this format. 3.3 Forthcoming engagement training from HIS A further round of engagement training is being run by Healthcare Improvement Scotland in June 2026. This includes: - Planning engagement - Carrying out engagement - Evaluating engagement 3.4 New HSCP engagement officer Interviews for the engagement officer took place in April 2026 and an offer of appointment has been made. The post holder is likely to take up post by August. This is an 18 month post funded from Argyll and Bute Council transformation reserves. 3.5 Internal audit of engagement processes Argyll and Bute Council are carrying out an internal audit of the HSCP’s engagement processes. This is welcomed by officers as an opportunity for continuous improvement. 4. RELEVANT DATA AND INDICATORS Nothing relevant to this paper. 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC PRIORITIES The newly published 2026 – 2031 Joint Strategic Plan sets out engagement framed as an ongoing process rather than one-off consultation, with a clear emphasis on maintaining dialogue with communities to shape future service transformation. Community and stakeholder insight is also used as evidence to inform priorities, particularly in relation to prevention, resilience and system sustainability. Alongside this, the Plan highlights a commitment to strengthening relationships and working in partnership across communities, the third sector, providers and other public services to support whole-system change. 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 Communication and engagement are core skills of the health and social care workforce. Staff are supported in delivering these aspects of their roles with training and development, plus expert advice from other professional groups such as the Communications Team and Public Health.
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3 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.” 9. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE There are no GDPR issues within this paper. 10. 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 service delivery. The Engagement Framework seeks to mitigate organisational risks. 11. 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. 12. 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. Oversight of engagement approaches from the SPG is welcomed. 13. 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 14. PREVIOUS REVIEW OF THE REPORT Meeting Title of report Date Output (if relevant)
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4 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. 4. Key Audiences
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6 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. 6.1 Proactive Communications
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7 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. • Assisting with the preparation of the Chief Officer Report for the IJB
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8 • 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 8. Communications Team
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9 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