About Integration - Health and social care integration

Health and social care integration is about helping people and services work better together to improve outcomes for everyone.

The health and social care sector comprises a wide range of services and supports from the national level, like the NHS, to the local level like care homes and community organisations. Many people seeking support for their health and wellbeing interact with different parts of the system throughout their journeys.

Health and social care integration aims to help services and supports collaborate better so that everyone has a more joined-up, personalised experience focused on the outcomes that matter most to them.

In Scotland, the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provides the legislative framework for integration. It created 31 Integration Authorities across the country, bringing together NHS Boards and Local Authorities, to work collaboratively alongside local partners to plan and deliver a range of core services, in order to improve experiences for people, their families and their carers. In most Integration Authorities, Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) are the body responsible for planning and resourcing local health and social care services.* Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) are how local councils and health boards deliver services. They also commission third sector and independent organisations to provide support.

In February 2026, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation to extend voting rights to IJB public partners, including unpaid carers, people with lived experience, and third sector representatives. This is expected to come into force in September 2026.

Integration is much more than legislation and structural change. It is also about transforming cultures and practices to promote person centred care and outcomes-focused systems.

Our team works with partners across the system to promote good practice and transformational change. To learn more, watch this short video introduction to health and social care integration, and read our report on a decade of integration in Scotland.

More information:

*The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 gave each Integration Authority the option to choose between two models: a ‘Lead Agency’ model, where either the NHS Board or the Local Authority would be responsible for delivering specified integrated functions; or a ‘Body Corporate’ model, wherein a new legal entity is created to take responsibility for the integrated functions. All areas except Highland elected to adopt the Body Corporate model. Clackmannanshire and Stirling decided to form a single Body Corporate to service the needs of both areas. This means that there are 30 Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) and one Joint Monitoring Committee (Highland) across the 32 Local Authority areas in Scotland.

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