Best Value Statement
North Ayrshire Council · 30 April 2026
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Integration Joint Board 30th April 2026 Subject : IJB Best Value Statement 2025-26 Purpose : The purpose of this report is to advise the IJB of the Best Value Statement, which sets out how the IJB delivered Best Value during the previous financial year, and to seek the IJBs approval. Recommendation : It is recommended that the IJB approve the Best Value Statement at Appendix A. Direction Required to Council, Health Board or Both Direction to :- 1. No Direction Required x 2. North Ayrshire Council 3. NHS Ayrshire & Arran 4. North Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire & Arran Glossary of Terms NHS AA NHS Ayrshire and Arran HSCP Health and Social Care Partnership 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Integration Joint Boards have a statutory duty to make arrangements to secure Best Value. To achieve this, IJBs are required to have effective arrangements in place for scrutinising performance, monitoring progress towards achieving strategic objectives and holding partners to account. 1.2 Appendix A contains the Draft Best Value Statement for 2025/26. This will be reviewed annually and will be incorporated into the Annual Performance Report. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 A recommendation was made in the 2024/25 Annual Audit Review that a formal review of the Best Value assurance framework, and an assessment of the partnership’s Best Value arrangements, should be completed and reported to the Joint Board. 2.2 The agreed action was that a Best Value framework would be developed and presented to the IJB. Thereafter, it will be incorporated into the Annual Performance Report as the mechanism for regular reporting to the IJB.
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2.3 The statement considers North Ayrshire’s position in relation to the seven key Audit Scotland Best Value themes. On the basis of this statement, and taking account of the Best Value arrangements in place through the Council and the Health Board, no additional action is required by the IJB at this time beyond the actions already under way (as detailed in the statement). 3. PROPOSALS 3.1 The Audit Committee is asked to consider and approve the Best Value Statement at Appendix A. 3.2 Anticipated outcomes Approval of the Best Value Statement will provide assurance to the IJB, partner organisations and stakeholders that appropriate arrangements are in place to secure Best Value and support continuous improvement in the delivery of integrated health and social care services. 3.3 Measuring impact The statement will be reviewed annually and will be incorporated into the Annual Performance Report. 4. IMPLICATIONS 4.1 Financial There are no financial implications arising from this report. 4.2 Human Resources There are no specific human resource implications arising from this report. 4.3 Legal There are no specific legal implications arising from this report. 4.4 Equality/Socio-Economic None 4.5 Risk There are no specific risk implications arising from this report. 4.6 Community Wealth Building None 4.7 Key Priorities None
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5. CONSULTATION This report was prepared in consultation with the Chief Officer and the Principal Manager (Planning, Performance and Transformation). Director – Caroline Cameron Eleanor Currie, Principal Manager – Finance and Chief Finance Officer, eleanorcurrie@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Appendices • Appendix A, Best Value Statement
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North Ayrshire Health Integration Joint Board Best Value Statement 2025-26
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North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is committed to securing Best Value in the delivery of integrated health and social care services, in line with its statutory duties and the principles set out by Audit Scotland. Best Value is defined as securing continuous improvement in performance, while maintaining an appropriate balance between quality and cost, and having regard to economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equality and sustainable development. The Integration Joint Board (IJB) has arrangements in place to demonstrate Best Value through effective governance, financial management, performance monitoring and partnership working. These arrangements support delivery of the Partnership’s strategic priorities and contribute to improved outcomes for the people and communities of North Ayrshire. The IJB places appropriate reliance on the Best Value arrangements of its partner organisations, North Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire & Arran, both of which are subject to independent external audit and scrutiny. This reliance is supplemented by the Partnership’s own governance and assurance arrangements, including performance reporting, financial monitoring, risk management and internal audit. Financial management arrangements support the effective stewardship of public resources and the pursuit of financial sustainability in the context of increasing demand and significant cost pressures. The Partnership uses performance information and intelligence to support decision-making, prioritisation and continuous improvement. The IJB considers that, taken together, these arrangements provide assurance that Best Value is being achieved. The Partnership recognises the scale of the challenges facing health and social care and remains focused on strengthening the pace and depth of improvement, delivering transformation, and ensuring resources are used effectively to improve outcomes. The IJB will continue to review and enhance its arrangements for securing Best Value and will use this assessment to inform future planning, improvement activity and assurance reporting.
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Theme 1 – Vision and Leadership Effective political and managerial leadership is central to delivering Best Value, through setting clear priorities and working effectively in partnership to achieve improved outcomes. Leaders should demonstrate behaviours and working relationships that foster a culture of cooperation, and a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) Members and senior managers have a clear vision for their area that is shared with citizens, key partners and other stakeholders. b) Members set strategic priorities that reflect the needs of communities and individual citizens, and that are aligned with the priorities of partners. c) Effective leadership drives continuous improvement and supports the achievement of strategic objectives. Effective political and managerial leadership is central to the delivery of Best Value within North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP). The Integration Joint Board (IJB), supported by senior officers, provides clear strategic direction, ensures alignment with partner priorities, and promotes a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement. NAHSCP has a clearly articulated and shared vision, set out in the Strategic Plan 2026–2030, which was formally refreshed following a statutory review of the previous Caring Together 2022–2030 plan. The Partnership’s vision is: “To empower people in North Ayrshire to live safe, healthy and active lives with fair and equal access to sustainable health and care services.” This refreshed vision reflects extensive engagement with communities, service users, staff, third sector partners and statutory partners. The vision was updated following consultation in 2025 to place greater emphasis on empowerment, accessibility, inclusion and sustainability, responding directly to stakeholder feedback. The vision and values will be communicated and embedded through: • The Strategic Plan and associated Delivery Plan. • Public IJB meetings and published papers. • Partnership engagement activity and locality planning. • Alignment with Community Planning Partnership priorities. This ensures that the Partnership’s strategic direction is understood and shared across organisations and communities. The IJB sets clear strategic priorities based on robust evidence of local need, performance and engagement. The Strategic Plan 2026–2030 was developed using:
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• A comprehensive Strategic Needs Assessment undertaken in 2025. • Analysis of engagement activity conducted between 2023 and 2024. • Review of national and local policy, including the Population Health Framework 2025–2035 and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework 2025–2035. • Service performance data and feedback from staff and partners. From this, the IJB agreed three Strategic Priorities: • Supporting the improvement of population health. • Addressing the changing needs of an ageing population. • Tackling the root causes of health inequality. These are complemented by six Service Delivery Priorities that guide how services are designed and delivered, including prevention, community-based services, life stages, whole person approaches, accessibility and communication, and evidence-led decision-making. The priorities align closely with partner strategies, including the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership Plan, NHS Ayrshire and Arran priorities, and Council strategies, ensuring a shared focus on outcomes, prevention and reducing inequalities. The IJB publishes an Annual Performance report which on an annual basis measures performance and progress against strategic plan ambitions. Political and managerial leadership within NAHSCP drives continuous improvement through clear governance, performance oversight and a strong focus on transformation. Key elements include:
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• The IJB providing strategic oversight, financial governance and assurance. • The Strategic Planning Group providing oversight of the development and implementation of the Strategic Plan and Locality Plans, monitoring progress against priorities, and advising the IJB on strategic direction. • The Chief Officer and senior management team leading operational delivery and service improvement. • A Transformation Programme (agreed March 2024) focused on service redesign, sustainability and improved outcomes. • Development of a refreshed Performance Management Framework to align performance reporting directly to the Strategic Plan priorities. Leaders promote a culture of partnership working, innovation and learning, supported by regular performance reporting to the IJB and its committees, annual performance reporting, and engagement with staff and communities. The Partnership has also committed to strengthening participation and engagement through a new Participation and Engagement Strategy (2026–2030), ensuring lived experience continues to inform service improvement and strategic decision-making. More information about the refreshed Strategic Plan 2026- 2030, and other strategies can be found at: NAHSCP Strategies, plans and publications Theme 2 – Governance and Accountability Effective governance and accountability arrangements, with openness and transparency in decision-making, schemes of delegation and effective reporting of performance, are essential for taking informed decisions, effective scrutiny of performance and IJB directions to the Council and Health Board require them to deliver services in line with the Strategic Plan and to ensure that services are procured and delivered in accordance with Best Value principles. The IJB has effective governance and accountability arrangements in place across decision-making, scrutiny and performance reporting.
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stewardship of resources. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) A clear understanding and the application of the principles of good governance and transparency of decision-making at strategic, partnership and operational levels. b) The existence of robust arrangements for scrutiny and performance reporting. c) The existence of strategic service delivery and financial plans that align the allocation of resources with desired outcomes for the short, medium and long terms IJB meetings are open to the public and also live webcast to ensure transparency of decision making with papers published prior to all meetings. The Performance and Audit Committee (PAC) is an essential part of ensuring good governance and accountability. The Committee meets quarterly and provides effective scrutiny and independent oversight of the Partnership’s performance. Reports are formally presented to the Performance and Audit Committee to enable members to review, challenge and understand organisational performance, risks and areas of concern. The quarterly performance report is publicly reported on the HSCP website. The reports provide performance data on the following information: • Performance indicators as set out in the Strategic Plan. • Focus on indicators that are off target and require corrective action, with input from Head of Service. • MSG performance. • Workforce absence data and trends. • Financial performance. • Updates from each area of the Partnership as well as case study information. At its meeting on 13th March, Performance and Audit Committee approved an updated and refreshed set of indicators to monitor the Strategic Plan. Finance and financial reporting are embedded across relevant activity through regular financial monitoring, budget-setting processes, medium-term financial planning and the annual financial accounts. The Partnership also provides regular financial updates within key reporting documents, including the Chief Social Work Officer’s Annual Report and the Annual Performance Report. A finance working group was also established in 2024-25. It consists of senior officers from the HSCP and members of the IJB and is chaired by the IJB Chair. The remit is: • Detailed scrutiny of in-year financial projections • Monitor the delivery of the financial recovery plan
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• Monitor the progress with delivery of the Transformation Plan • Review of the 3-year Medium-Term Financial Outlook • Detailed scrutiny of budget planning for the next financial year. A Medium Term Financial Outlook was presented to the IJB in December 2025, with further updates to the range of assumptions included in the budget report in March 2026. A range of possible scenarios for the financial position in each year were presented based on the information currently available. This helps to identify the financial challenges which will be faced by the IJB, enabling the IJB to see the impact of current and future decisions on its medium-term financial health. Theme 3 – Effective Use of Resources Making the best use of public resources is at the heart of delivering Best Value. With clear plans and strategies in place, and with sound governance and strong leadership, a local authority will be well placed to ensure that all of its resources are deployed to achieve its strategic priorities, meet the needs of its communities and deliver continuous improvement. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) It makes best use of its financial and other resources in all of its activities. b) Decisions on allocating resources are based on an integrated and strategic approach, are risk-aware and evidence- based, and contribute to the achievement of its strategic priorities. In delivering financial Best Value, the requirement to deliver services within the budgeted allocation is central to the IJB’s work. To support this, regular budget monitoring is reported to the IJB and the Performance and Audit Committee. Financial updates are also provided to NHS Ayrshire and Arran and North Ayrshire Council. Regular budget monitoring updates are also provided to Staff Partnership Groups. Internal financial updates are provided at Senior Management Team meetings and budget updates are provided to service managers. Financial updates are also provided to the extended Senior Management Team several times per year. To support best use of financial resources, detailed annual budget plans are developed and approved by the IJB. Medium-term financial outlooks are also developed and approved by the IJB. All IJB papers include a section that outlines the financial implications of each proposal, alongside other implications including legal, HR, equality and diversity, and links to the IJB’s strategic objectives. Financial decisions taken by the IJB link to the Strategic Priorities and are assessed for risk. All major financial decisions are supported by an IJB paper which sets out the risks, evidence base and contribution to the Strategic Priorities.
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c) It has robust procedures and controls in place to ensure that resources are used appropriately and effectively and are not misused. d) It works with its partners to maximise the use of their respective resources to achieve shared priorities and outcomes As part of the 2026–27 budget planning process, the Chief Officer and Chief Finance Officer attended the North Ayrshire Council budget working group and meetings with political parties. The Chief Finance Officer also attended NHS Ayrshire and Arran pay and supplies meetings. The IJB Finance Working Group undertakes further detailed scrutiny of the financial position, receives deep dives and supports officers to shape proposals prior to IJB formal consideration. In that forum detailed information covering financial and activity information for services, including benchmarking where available is shared with members. Theme 4 – Partnerships and Collaborative Working The public service landscape in Scotland requires local authorities to work in partnership with a wide range of national, regional and local agencies and interests across the public, third and private sectors. A local authority should be able to demonstrate how it, in partnership with all relevant stakeholders, provides effective leadership to meet local needs and deliver desired outcomes. It should demonstrate commitment to and understanding of the benefits gained by effective collaborative working and how this facilitates the achievement of strategic objectives Within joint working arrangements, Best Value cannot be measured solely on the performance of a single organisation in isolation from its partners. A local authority will be able to demonstrate how its partnership arrangements lead to the achievement of Best Value. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: NAHSCP has established clear and proportionate governance arrangements to support effective partnership working. These include defined structures for Community Planning Partnerships (CPP) and other collaborative arrangements, with clear lines of responsibility, accountability and decision-making. Partners from across the CPP sit on the Partnership’s Strategic Planning Group (SPG), ensuring representation from key partners including health, education, communities, housing, the third sector (through Arran CVS) and service providers. The Strategic Planning Group has a key role in shaping, overseeing and assuring the development and delivery of the Partnership’s strategic planning duties. This supports shared understanding of partnership arrangements and helps to reduce the risk of duplication or gaps in service provision. The refreshed Strategic Plan was developed through engagement with partners and was subject to public consultation, ensuring that a wide range of perspectives informed the Partnership’s strategic direction. The Strategic Plan is monitored through the SPG, providing assurance that there is shared agreement across partners on priorities, outcomes and milestones. This enables partners to collectively monitor progress and play an active role in delivering agreed outcomes and achievements. NAHSCP has also worked closely with housing colleagues to develop a new Housing Contribution Statement, with agreed shared outcomes. This strengthens alignment between health, social care and housing priorities and
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a) Members and senior managers have established and developed a culture that encourages collaborative working and service provision that will contribute to better and customer-focused outcomes. b) Effective governance arrangements for Community Planning Partnerships and other partnerships and collaborative arrangements are in place, including structures with clear lines of responsibility and accountability, clear roles and responsibilities, and agreement around targets and milestones supports a more integrated approach to meeting local needs. The Partnership is also in the midst of refreshing the locality planning model, integrating the governance arrangements with CPP, ensuring a shared vision for North Ayrshire alongside local people. Partnership working is further demonstrated through the Integration Joint Board (IJB), which includes representation from key partners, including internal officers, a carers’ representative, local councillors and non-executive members of NHS Ayrshire and Arran. All major decisions and formal reporting are considered through the IJB, which meets regularly and provides strategic oversight and assurance. The Partnership works closely with East and South Ayrshire HSCPs with strong established collaboration, this is evidenced more formally through lead partnership arrangements for service delivery and through a number of whole system joint working and governance arrangements. Theme 5 – Working with Communities Local authorities, both individually and with their community planning partners, have a responsibility to ensure that people and communities are able to be fully involved in the decisions that affect their everyday lives. Community bodies – as defined in the Community Empowerment Act 2015 (section 4(9)) – must be at the heart of decision-making processes that agree strategic priorities and direction. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) Early and meaningful engagement and effective collaboration with communities to North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP), working with its Community Planning partners, recognises that people and communities must be at the heart of decisions that affect their everyday lives. Community bodies, as defined in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, are central to NAHSCP’s approach to strategic planning, service design and delivery. This commitment is set out clearly in the Partnership’s Final Participation and Engagement Strategy 26-30, which provides a structured, rights‑based framework for meaningful and continuous engagement with communities across North Ayrshire. NAHSCP demonstrates early and meaningful engagement with communities to identify and understand local need and to inform decisions affecting service planning and delivery. Engagement is embedded as a core component of strategic and service‑level activity, rather than as a one‑off or retrospective exercise. The Participation and Engagement Strategy sets out the commitment to proportionate, ongoing engagement, aligned with national
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identify and understand local needs, and in decisions that affect the planning and delivery of services. b) A commitment to reducing inequalities and empowering communities to effect change and deliver better local outcomes. c) That engagement with communities has influenced strategic planning processes, the setting of priorities and the development of locality plans. guidance including Planning with People and the National Standards for Community Engagement. A wide range of engagement approaches are used to ensure accessibility and flexibility, including locality-based conversations, surveys (digital and paper), focus groups, lived experience panels, Conversation Cafés, one-to-one interviews and creative engagement methods. These approaches enable individuals, carers, community groups and third sector organisations to contribute in ways that suit them and support meaningful dialogue about local priorities and service improvement Locality Planning is a key mechanism for early engagement, providing place-based opportunities for communities to share their views and influence service priorities. Feedback from locality conversations is reviewed through governance structures, including the Strategic Planning Group and the CPP Locality Planning Partnerships, ensuring that community insight informs strategic decision-making. Two Engagement Officers support the Partnership to embed engagement across service design and improvement, ensuring that communities play an active role in shaping services. NAHSCP demonstrates a clear and sustained commitment to reducing inequalities and empowering communities through the development and delivery of its Equality Outcomes 2025–2029. These outcomes were developed in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty and were informed by robust engagement with people who share protected characteristics, alongside analysis of local and national data and policy evidence. Engagement undertaken during the development of the Equality Outcomes involved community groups with shared characteristics, ensuring that lived experience was central to identifying inequality and shaping priorities. The Equality Outcomes focus on areas where inequality and disadvantage are most evident in North Ayrshire, including access to community mental health support, participation in leisure and healthy activity, support for unpaid carers, and access to clear, accessible information and communication. Each outcome includes specific aims linked to protected characteristics such as age, disability,
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sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and race, demonstrating a targeted and proportionate approach to tackling inequality. NAHSCP works in partnership with third sector organisations, community groups and statutory partners to deliver activity that empowers communities and supports people to participate in services and decision-making. The Partnership also uses its Participation and Engagement Strategy to support inclusive, rights-based engagement, ensuring that seldom-heard voices are actively sought and that barriers to participation are addressed. NAHSCP can demonstrate that engagement with communities has directly influenced strategic planning processes, the setting of priorities and the development of locality plans. The refreshed Strategic Plan was informed by extensive engagement and consultation activity, including locality conversations, service-specific engagement and feedback gathered through the What Matters to You? approach. These insights shaped both the strategic priorities and the service delivery priorities set out in the Plan. Community engagement has also informed wider strategic activity, including the development of Equality Outcomes, service redesign within Health and Community Care, Mental Health, Children, Families and Justice services, and commissioning activity. Looking ahead, NAHSCP has committed to the development of locality plans informed by ongoing locality conversations, ensuring that planning and delivery remain responsive to the distinct needs, challenges and assets of different communities across North Ayrshire. Theme 6 – Sustainable Development Sustainable development is commonly defined as securing a balance of social, economic and environmental wellbeing in the impact of activities and decisions, and seeking to meet the needs of Sustainable development is clearly reflected in NAHSCP’s vision and strategic priorities. The Partnership’s vision explicitly commits to fair and equal access to sustainable health and care services, recognising the need to deliver services that are viable in the long term and responsive to changing population needs. The three Strategic Priorities — Supporting the Improvement of Population Health, Addressing the
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the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is a fundamental part of Best Value. It should be reflected in a local authority’s vision and strategic priorities, highlighted in all plans at corporate and service level, and a guiding principle for all of its activities. Every aspect of activity in a local authority, from planning to delivery and review, should contribute to achieving sustainable development. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) Sustainable development is reflected in its vision and strategic priorities. b) Sustainable development considerations are embedded in its governance arrangements. c) Resources are planned and used in a way that contributes to sustainable development d) Sustainable development is effectively promoted through partnership working Changing Needs of an Ageing Population, and Tackling the Root Causes of Health Inequality — collectively support sustainable development by shifting focus towards prevention, early intervention and long-term planning. This approach seeks to reduce avoidable demand on acute services, improve outcomes at a population level and ensure that resources are used in ways that support long-term system sustainability. Service Delivery Priorities such as Prevention, Community-Based Services, and Life Stages further embed sustainability by promoting care closer to home, reducing reliance on hospital-based provision and supporting people to remain independent for longer. Sustainable development considerations are embedded within NAHSCP’s governance arrangements. The Integration Joint Board (IJB) has responsibility for setting strategic direction, aligning resources to the Strategic Plan and ensuring that decisions support the long‑term sustainability of services. The Strategic Planning Group (SPG) provides oversight of plan development and delivery, ensuring that strategic decisions are informed by evidence, engagement and an understanding of future demand. Governance processes require that strategic decisions consider population need, inequalities, financial sustainability and service impact, supporting a whole‑system approach to sustainable development. Locality Planning arrangements further support sustainable governance by enabling local leadership, community engagement and place‑based decision‑making. This ensures that services are planned and delivered in a way that reflects local circumstances and makes best use of community assets. NAHSCP plans and uses its resources in a way that supports sustainable development within a challenging financial context. The Strategic Plan acknowledges that the current service model is not sustainable within the resource constraints with service redesign and proactive decision making on priorities required to manage future demand more effectively.
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The Partnership’s Transformation Programme plays a key role in this approach, focusing on redesigning services to improve outcomes, reduce inefficiencies and make better use of available resources. This includes reviewing models of care, reducing reliance on high‑cost placements, supporting care closer to home and using digital solutions to improve efficiency and access. Financial planning is aligned to the Strategic Plan, with resources directed towards priorities that support long‑term sustainability, including community‑based services, workforce planning and digital transformation. This ensures that short‑term financial pressures are managed in a way that does not compromise long‑term service viability Sustainable development is actively promoted through partnership working at local, regional and national levels. NAHSCP works closely with Community Planning Partners, the third and community sector, NHS colleagues and housing services to deliver integrated solutions that address the wider determinants of health. Good North Ayrshire: Collaboration for Health Equity (CHES) is a two-year collaboration working to strengthen and accelerate the action already underway to improve Scotland’s health, increase wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. North Ayrshire is one of 3 areas across Scotland involved in this work, this is supported by Public Health Scotland and the Institute for Health Equity, London. The focus of CHES is to explore the areas most impactful to close the gap in healthy life expectancy and what actions can be taken both nationally and locally to close the recognised implementation gap between policy and impact. Simplified branding and language around North Ayrshire’s CHES work has been developed. CHES work seeks to progress a Good North Ayrshire that’s Fair for All, with targeted workstreams focused on Good Start, Good Jobs, and Good Health in identified localities and neighbourhoods. Good Start, Good Jobs and Good Health workstreams are currently undertaking community engagement and asset mapping work to inform the design and delivery phase of
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improvements. An emphasis is being placed on enhanced collaboration and integration of existing supports to deliver more holistic early intervention and prevention that improves health outcomes for local people. Initial discussions have taken place around the roll out of the Public Health Approach to Learning (PHAL) to improve health and education outcomes. Theme 7 – Fairness and Equality Tackling poverty, reducing inequality and promoting fairness, respect and dignity for all citizens should be key priorities for local authorities and all of their partners, including local communities. In achieving Best Value, a local authority will be able to demonstrate the following: a) That equality and equity considerations lie at the heart of strategic planning and service delivery. b) A commitment to tackling discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and promoting good relations both within its own organisation and the wider community. c) That equality, diversity and human rights are embedded in its vision and strategic direction and throughout all of its work, including its collaborative and integrated community planning and other partnership arrangements. d) A culture that encourages equal opportunities and is working towards the elimination of discrimination. Equality and equity considerations underpin the Strategic Plan 2026–2030, including the vision “to empower people in North Ayrshire to live safe, healthy and active lives, with fair and equal access to sustainable health and care services.” Reducing inequality is one of the three core Strategic Priorities, ensuring decisions about service design, transformation and resource allocation are informed by evidence of need, population data and lived experience. Service Delivery Priorities such as prevention, community-based services, accessibility and life stages ensure support is targeted early, locally and proportionately to reduce unfair outcomes. Equality considerations are systematically assessed as part of strategic, service and budget decision-making. Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) consider available evidence and the proposed impact of decisions, including any potential negative or disproportionate effects. Where adverse impacts are identified, these are clearly set out along with proposed mitigation actions to support decision making. These assessments are subject to scrutiny by Integration Joint Board (IJB) members as part of their decision-making responsibilities, ensuring equality and human rights considerations are embedded within governance and oversight processes. The Equality Impact Assessment Template also includes a specific section addressing the Fairer Scotland Duty. This ensures that, when proposing service changes or budget decisions, lead officers give full and explicit consideration to the potential socio-economic impact of each proposal on people experiencing disadvantage or poverty. This approach supports informed, transparent decision-making and strengthens the Partnership’s ability to anticipate and reduce inequality.
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To promote openness and accountability, summaries of completed Equality Impact Assessments are published on the HSCP website, ensuring accessibility for stakeholders, partners and the public. The Partnership is committed to tackling discrimination and advancing equality of opportunity both within the organisation and across the communities it serves. This is reflected in updated values of being Caring, Compassionate, Respectful and Inclusive, and through delivery of the Equality Outcomes 2025–2029. Our Strategic Plan, Participation and Engagement Strategy, and Performance Framework ensure that equality considerations inform planning, implementation and evaluation, and that human rights principles such as dignity, participation, fairness and respect are reflected across partnership activity. Equality and diversity awareness training is an annual mandatory course for all Council and NHS employees.