Strategic Partners
The International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) and the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a shared mission.
Co-creating a healthier future with individuals and communities by developing courageous and compassionate leaders and practitioners with the knowledge, skills and confidence to design, deliver and evaluate people-centred integrated care.
The priority areas for the collaboration are:
- Leadership and education to shape practice;
- Building capability through knowledge exchange and translation;
- Engaging in action research and evaluation;
- Influencing policy and system change; and,
- Empowering people and communities.
The national third sector intermediary for a range of health and social care organisations, the ALLIANCE has over 2,900 members: large, national support providers, small, local volunteer-led groups, and people who are disabled, living with long term conditions or providing unpaid care. Our vision is for a Scotland where people of all ages who are disabled or living with long term conditions, and unpaid carers, have a strong voice and enjoy their right to live well, as equal and active citizens, free from discrimination, with support and services that put them at the centre.
UWS has 4 campuses across the west and southwest of Scotland and one campus in central London.The strong relationships between UWS and local health boards, local authorities, hospices, user and carer groups, voluntary sector partners, care homes and social care providers enables field research and knowledge translation into practice. UWS offers cross-sectoral education on integrated care that can be delivered as CPD or as formal higher education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including a Masters on Leading People Centred Integrated Care.
Watch our video: Leading People Centred Integrated Care Masters showing our students talk about the value of their course in their workplace and how the blended learning fits around their working life.
Collaborating partners
Representatives from the following organisations contribute to our Reference Network, bringing policy, academic or delivery expertise.
Our Theory of Change documents our three approaches:
- We inform – create conditions for effective information sharing
- We translate and facilitate – support individuals and groups to make use of evidence
- We co-create – work with communities to test out ideas and create conditions for embedding change
Our ethos is collaboration and we are committed to working in partnership with other agencies involved in care and support and with service users and carers.
Health and Social Care Scotland is a national collaboration through which those who lead change within health and social care partnerships can come together to learn from each other, work collectively and support one another to deliver better health and wellbeing outcomes for the people of Scotland through Integration, Collaboration, and Transformation.
Hospice IOM launched the Scholl Academic Centre in March 2019, with three main areas of focus: Education, Innovation and Research.
The Scholl Academic Centre is part of Hospice Isle of Man’s commitment their strategy ‘Much More Than A Building’. Researchers have been engaging with people within the community to find out what matters to them: what matters most is choice, in where they live, where they receive their care and where they die when the time comes.
QNIS is a charitable organisation promoting excellence in community nursing to improve the health and well-being of the people of Scotland. Our purpose is to enable nurses who work in Scotland’s communities to be the very best they can be.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland is an organisation with many parts and one purpose – better quality health and social care for everyone in Scotland. Community Engagement aim to improve how health and care services listen to people, value their views and involve people in developing services. Find out more: hisengage.scot
The Improvement Hub (ihub) was established in April 2016 to support those delivering health and social care across Scotland to redesign and continuously improve services to ensure they meet the changing needs of people in Scotland.
Launched on 1st April, 2020, Public Health Scotland brings together Health Protection Scotland, Information Services Division and NHS Health Scotland They are Scotland’s lead agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all of Scotland’s people to achieve the vision of a Scotland where everybody thrives.
The Care Inspectorate is a scrutiny body which supports improvement. That means we look at the quality of care in Scotland to ensure it meets high standards. Where we find that improvement is needed, we support services to make positive changes. Our vision is that everyone experiences safe, high-quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
Scottish School of Primary Care is a virtual school comprising all Scottish academic departments with significant primary care research output. It exists to facilitate collaboration between senior academics in primary care and key stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of integrated health and social care service policy.
The voice of the independent social care sector in Scotland, representing the largest group of independent sector social care providers across Scotland, delivering residential care, nursing care, day care, care at home and housing support services. This includes private, not for profit and charitable organisations.
The Centre for Education and Social Policy conducts research on what matters in particular contexts and policy frameworks and on how to create a more equitable society. The Centre has expertise in forming partnerships between academics and professionals to address key issues in practice and inform and improve outcomes.
> Visit the The Centre for Education and Social Policy website
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is an education and training body and a special health board with responsibility for developing and delivering education and training for the healthcare workforce in Scotland. NES has a Scotland wide role in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development.
We play a pivotal role inspiring, enabling and combining world-leading industry and academic expertise with service, business and technical innovation to create person-centred digital health and care innovations to positively impact society. We shift the balance of care from a traditional treatment model, through the development of digital health and care innovations that focus on prevention, early detection, post event care and independent assisted living.
Technology Enabled Care is defined as “where outcomes for individuals in home or community settings are improved through the application of technology as an integral part of quality, cost effective care and support”. Launched in late 2014, the Scotland-wide programme is designed to significantly increase citizen choice and control in health, well-being and care services.
Our core purpose is to help older people feel safe and secure at home and to live fulfilling and independent lives. We currently manage more than 5,000 homes throughout Scotland and provide a range of housing and tenure types to meet the different support needs of older people, allowing them to retain their independence within a local community and enjoy as much privacy or company as they wish.
NHS Forth Valley serves a population of more than 306,000 in a diverse geographical area which covers the heart of Scotland. It supports the integration of community services through two Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs).
Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is a new organisation that brings together community health services and social work services for Inverclyde. The HSCP will work to improve lives by focusing on the outcomes local people want to achieve, based on what is most important to them.
NHS Lanarkshire is the third largest health board in Scotland serving a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities. With two Health and Social Care Partnerships the Board is committed to delivering high quality, innovative health and social care that is person-centred and supports everyone to live longer, healthier lives at home, or in a homely setting.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway serves a population of over 148,000 but within a large geographical area in the southwest of Scotland. The Health Board aims to deliver excellent care that is person-centred, safe, effective, efficient and reliable, and works with local communities and partner organisations to reduce health inequalities.

Generations Working Together (GWT) promote and support the development and delivery of intergenerational practice across Scotland. This involves projects, activities or events where people of different generations get to know each other, share creative ideas and skills, learn new skills, and work together to identify solutions for problems and challenges in their communities. GWT provide training opportunities, resources, organising events and facilitating network opportunities to enable high quality intergenerational activity to take root and to flourish. Membership is free for anyone living in Scotland.

COSLA is a councillor-led, cross-party organisation which champions councils’ vital work to secure the resources and powers they need. We work on councils’ behalf to focus on the challenges and opportunities they face, and to engage positively with governments and others on policy, funding and legislation.