We asked Fiona for her views at our Action: The 2nd Health and Social Care Integration Event.

At our Annual Conference, Action: The 2nd Health and Social Care Integration Event on 4 June 2018, we interviewed a range of delegates to monitor their opinions on the conference and their thoughts on how to implement action in health and social care.

Fiona is the Chief Executive for Centrestage Communities (this link will take you away from our website). Centrestage Communities aim to bring people together from all walks of society through the arts. At our Annual Conference we were lucky to experience this unity through the Centrestage choir, which was received with a standing ovation.

We asked Fiona:

Why is action needed in health and social care?

Fiona – I think there is too much talking and not enough action. People will letch into IJB or health and social care partnerships if you work like them. We don’t. So in East Ayrshire we don’t actually have a voice as such, so we just have to keep doing our own thing. So there is a lot of talk.

If you were to prioritise one thing (and money and resource was no object) to action what would it be and how would it improve health and social care?

Fiona – Just lose layers and layers of management and actually ask folk what they need and actually do it don’t say you are going to do it. There are far too many documents printed about how great things are but its easy to print a document, its not the same as actually making a change. So we have to just get on with doing it and stop waiting for folk to do it for us.

How would you sum up the event?

Fiona – I think it’s been really, really good. Its great here, people actually live it, talking about their experiences. The challenges are the people here to hear them and actually make the change happen.

You can also watch Fiona’s interview on the ALLIANCE YouTube channel (this link will take you away from our website).

End of page.

You may also like:

Written by: Billy McClean, Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership Published: 10/09/2026

Billy McClean reflects on why SCIC26 offers a vital opportunity to learn together, share what works, and shape the future of integrated care

Continue reading
Written by: Bruce Adamson, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) Published: 07/09/2026

To mark Scottish Learning Disability Week (7 - 13 September), Bruce Adamson reflects on this year's call to action.

Continue reading
Back to all opinions