29 November 2021

Scotland Excel shortlisted for Scottish Public Service Award

Our innovative care and support framework is a finalist for a prestigious national award

Scotland Excel is shortlisted for a Scottish Public Service Award 2021 for its innovative care and support flexible framework in the Commercial Partnership category.

The annual awards celebrate excellence within Scotland’s public services and recognise the daily contribution made to Scotland’s civic society from within the civil service, Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, local government, health and social care sector, broader public sector and their partners within the Third Sector.

Scotland Excel’s care and support framework is the first of its kind in Scotland and is a collaborative agreement for the provision of care and support services, including care at home and supported living.

It is shortlisted in the Commercial Partnership award category which recognises a team or individual that has demonstrated exemplary commercial practice, achieving better outcomes for public bodies through contract negotiations and management, commercial policy development, smart procurement, best practice supplier management or new models of delivery.

The care and support framework provides support services on nationally agreed terms and conditions, service delivery and quality standards. It enables greater choice for service users and a human rights-based approach, resource efficiency for commissioners, high quality services and provides a flexible mechanism for councils/health and social care partnerships (HSCPs) and providers to deliver care and support to meet peoples’ individual needs.

Scotland Excel Chief Executive Julie Welsh said: “The framework delivers quality social care support in a fair and sustainable way, bringing choice for service users so they can live independently and safely at home.

“Councils/HSCPs can use it to help the supported person shape their support plan and choose a provider and services to achieve their outcomes. Service users can also be directly involved in the local commissioning processes.

“It is a collaborative approach to commissioning and procurement to increase choice and control for service users, while driving innovation and best practice nationally and locally.”

The new framework is ‘flexible’ meaning it re-opens to allow providers to tender to join. This ensures a wide range of providers covering a range of local areas can be part of the framework, which currently has 119 providers offering 420 services.

The framework can also be used to engage services for people who receive their care through Self-Directed Support (SDS). It has already been used by residents of a six-placement housing support complex who were involved in choosing the provider which best met their needs.

The awards ceremony will take place at Scottish Parliament on 8 December and will be co-hosted by the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, and Deputy First Minister John Swinney.