Policies, procedures and governance

Our policies and governance frameworks ensure that all services within the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership deliver consistent, person‑centred and high‑quality care. This section brings together the key documents and procedures that guide professional practice, decision‑making and organisational responsibilities.

These resources support safe care, strong professional accountability and compliance with national legislation, NHS governance standards and local partnership arrangements.

National policies and frameworks used by HSCPs

Below are the core national frameworks that every HSCP must follow. These should be referenced in your local governance content.

Public bodies (joint working) (Scotland) Act 2014

All HSCPs are established under this Act, which legally requires NHS Boards and local authorities to integrate adult health and social care services. Guidance and background on the Act are available from the Scottish Government website.

It sets out duties for:

• integration governance
• delegation of functions
• strategic planning
• performance and financial reporting

National health and wellbeing outcomes 

These outcomes describe what integrated care must achieve for people and communities and guide how HSCPs plan and measure success. They are described in the Scottish Government's outcomes framework.

Statutory Guidance for HSCP Strategic Plans (2024)

Integration Authorities must follow this statutory guidance when preparing or reviewing their Strategic Plan. The full document is available on the Scottish Government publications website. 

This guidance supports:

• needs assessment
• commissioning processes
• engagement duties for communities and professionals
• performance monitoring requirements

Clinical and care governance framework (2015)

This national framework outlines how HSCPs must ensure safe, effective and person‑centred care through shared governance arrangements between NHS Boards, Local Authorities and Integration Joint Boards. The framework is available via the Scottish Government's clinical and care governance guidance page. 

It covers:

• governance roles and responsibilities
• risk management
• professional accountability
• service quality assurance

Blueprint for good governance in NHS Scotland (2022)

Although written for NHS Boards, this framework is used across HSCPs to inform integrated governance models. The full guidance is available from NHS Scotland's governance publications.

It includes guidance on:

• principles of good governance
• assurance systems
• collaborative decision‑making
• continuous improvement

Governance for quality social care (Social Work Scotland)

This framework supports robust governance across social care services and is used by HSCPs to strengthen integrated governance. It can be accessed via Social Work Scotland's publications.

It emphasises:

• rights‑based practice
• prevention and early intervention
• holistic, person‑centred approaches
• organisational accountability

Local policies and procedures

Alongside national frameworks, the Partnership maintains local guidance and operational procedures, which may include:

Organisational policies

• lone working and staff safety
• information governance and confidentiality
• equality, diversity and human rights
• whistleblowing and concerns handling
• incident reporting and risk management

Clinical & care governance procedures

• local clinical governance frameworks
• quality assurance processes
• supervision guidance
• local escalation and decision‑making pathways

Safeguarding and protection procedures

• Adult Support and Protection
• Child Protection
• multi‑agency risk and protection arrangements

(Links to local versions should be added as these documents are published.)

How national and local governance work together

HSCP governance is built on a layered model:

• National legislation - establishes legal duties
• National frameworks - set expectations for quality, safety and outcomes
• Local HSCP policies - apply these standards in practice
• Service‑level procedures - support day‑to‑day delivery

This ensures consistency with national policy while allowing flexibility to meet local needs.