Introduction Continued

The Quality Strategy recognises that our staff are the greatest resource and we must ensure that they are enabled and supported to use their knowledge and skills to best effect to deliver the best service they can provide, consistently. Staff need to have the confidence and be empowered to make the changes needed to provide the highest quality, compassionate and clinically effective healthcare and feel that they do, and continue to enjoy doing, what they came into the NHS to do. This requires strong leadership, good staff governance and effective partnership working. Involving and empowering staff in decisions relating to their work has been demonstrated to deliver a better quality of outcome which will ultimately result in the delivery of high quality, safe, effective and person-centred healthcare services.

The challenging economic environment, coupled with changing demography and technological advances, will require NHSScotland and individual Boards to make some difficult decisions about the design and delivery of services and the workforce required to deliver them. The Strategic Narrative and the 20:20 Vision for healthcare services identify what we are working towards in the future.

Our '20:20 Vision'

Our vision is that by 2020 everyone is able to live longer, healthier lives at home or in a homely setting. We will have a healthcare system where we have integrated health and social care, a focus on prevention, anticipation and supported self management. When hospital treatment is required, and cannot be provided in a community setting, day case treatment will be the norm. Whatever the setting, care will be provided to the highest standards of quality and safety, with the person at the centre of all decisions. There will be a focus on ensuring that people get back into their home or community environment as soon as appropriate, with minimal risk of re-admission.

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