Why your annual returns are so important
Why your annual returns are so important
Every year in January and February, we ask care service providers to complete an annual return. It asks for a great deal of information about your service and the people who use it. It is important to know why you are asked for this information, and what we do with it.
First and foremost, the information you provide in the annual return helps us understand your service. This means inspectors are able to plan and prepare for effective inspections that are focused appropriately.
Not only is the annual return important for planning and focusing inspections, but the information you also give provides a national picture, which can help the us and other partner organisations in a number of ways.
This year's annual returns are now closed. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their annual return to us by the deadline, Sunday 17 March 2024. The information you have provided will help us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work.
Even inactive services must submit an annual return.
If a service was registered on or after 1 October 2023, it should try to complete an annual return this year. Although it is not mandatory for these services, any information supplied will be used by the Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government. The information entered this year will automatically appear in the December 2024 annual return and only information that has changed will need to be entered.
Benchmarks and comparisons for inspectors
Inspectors can compare a service they are looking at with national averages to identify potential issues. For example, if the inspector is preparing to inspect a service with higher staff turnover than average, when they inspect, the inspector might look at the impact this could have had on the quality of care and outcomes for people using that service.
Publishing statistics
We also publish statistical reports of some of the annual returns data. We also use the annual return data to inform many of our other publications such as:
- Early learning and childcare statistics 2022
- Staff vacancies in care services 2022
- Fostering and adoption statistical bulletin 2022-23
National policy makers (the Scottish Government) can use these summaries and publications to shape and evaluate national policies and providers can see how their service compares with other services.
Supporting improvement
The intelligence we gather through annual returns helps us target our improvement activity and support within social care. It is a great source of baseline data across a variety of health and wellbeing indicators which we use to identify, drive and track improvement, for example infection control, nutrition and the recruitment and retention of staff. The data also helps us to identify trends and topics by both geographical area or service type, so that we can see where best to focus our improvement support work, for example, improvement workshops or new resources and guidance for care services across the sector.
Reducing duplication and sharing information
We also share information with other public bodies to reduce duplication and the costs of data collection for both the taxpayer and the people providing data. For example, anonymised staffing information is shared with the Scottish Social Services Council, so they can develop intelligence about the workforce without having to collect additional data from care services.
If you need help accessing the annual return, you can call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527 or read our frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions from the briefing sessions to community justice strategic groups to the Care Inspectorate.
| Questions/Points raised | Response |
| Will the model use a 6 or 4-point evaluation scale? | From on-going discussion, we recognised that a 4-point scale might simplify the model and allow for different language but overall, it was felt a 6-point scale would be more helpful in being able to evaluate and see improvement over time. Using improvement language was viewed as being beneficial. |
| As different partnerships are at different stages in development, there was some reservation about capacity to undertake this work and what the expectations were to undertake self-evaluation. | A second phase of the project has been proposed which would focus on building capacity and confidence in partnerships in undertaking meaningful self-evaluation. Partners thought this was required and as well as support locally, there may be benefits for specific support for some partners on a national basis. The OPI Framework does not specify requirements specifically about undertaking self-evaluation. However, embarking on this work will be externally valuable for partnerships in helping strive for continuous improvement and excellence and establishing a strong sense of performance and key priority areas for action. It will also enable partners to identify key strengths. When Community Justice Scotland comes into being, they may wish to offer further views on this. |
| We sent the initial correspondence for the briefing to chairs of Community Planning Partnerships; this has not always resulted in it being passed on. | We took this approach at the end of March 2016 as we recognised strategic partnerships were at different stages in development and CPP chairs were the one constant. We then followed this up by ensuring we copied all transitions leads in to subsequent correspondence about the briefings and this proved more successful. Subsequent dialogue with local areas has resulted in the decision that we will make all chairs of strategic groups the main contact point with the transition leads copied in to all communication. This should make communication flow easier and more consistent. |
| Partners felt strongly that the language should have an improvement tone. | We agree and will endeavour to ensure the model reflects this. |
| Partners had some reservations about expectations of performance against the quality indicators within the self-evaluation model. This was based on the transition stage and the timing required to embed community justice and how this may reflect performance evaluations. |
We understand there are reservations and there are a couple of elements to consider.
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| Are you speaking to other groups as well as statutory partners? | Yes, we have an extensive approach to engagement and involvement, which will be happening during summer 2016. This will involve a staff survey, service user focus groups and stakeholder focus groups/meetings. |
| Some partners were slightly apprehensive that the staff survey would ask questions about community justice that may still be new or unknown to many staff and were unsure how this would be interpreted and used. | The staff survey is for us to develop the self-evaluation model only. This will be to ensure that a wide range of staff have an opportunity to give their views and influence what the self-evaluation model looks like. The survey is confidential and we will not use it for any other purpose |
| Will partners be able to use the survey questions for their own use? | There is no reason why partners can’t use the content of the Care Inspectorate survey with their staff locally to help gather views and opinions about community justice. They may want to consider amending some or all of the questions to meet local needs |
| Has there been any research done in developing the model? | The proposed model is based on the EFQM framework which is widely known and used and highly regarded across a very wide range of public and private sector organisations. Frameworks based on EFQM have been used to inform scrutiny models in Scotland for many years. In developing this model we are also drawing on existing research, policy and strategy including ‘Reducing reoffending in Scotland’ and ‘Commission on Women Offenders’. |
| Whilst a self-evaluation model is helpful the demand on time was highlighted in respect of evidence. Is there any way to reduce this? | We will consider this when developing the model and plan to include some tips about approaches to gathering evidence. In all of the models we have developed, we encourage partners to use evidence they need to gather anyway, either for the purposes of routine reporting or for ongoing service improvement, rather than undertaking self-evaluation for its own sake. |
| Some partners were slightly concerned about the plans for future inspection of community justice and them being over scrutinised. | The OPI Framework states the intentions for any future inspection of community justice. The Care Inspectorate recognises the need for any scrutiny work to be proportionate, risk-based, targeted and firmly directed at supporting improvement in outcomes for people. |
Community justice in Scotland – approach to self-evaluation
On the 24 November 2016 the Scottish Government launched the national strategy for community justice alongside the Outcome, Performance and Improvement Framework (OPI Framework). These outline the vision for community justice in Scotland with the OPI Framework providing expectations and guidance for statutory partners and the third sector. The statutory partners are:
- Local authorities
- Health boards
- Police Scotland
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
- Skills Development Scotland
- Integration joint boards (IJBs)
- Scottish courts and tribunals service
- Scottish Ministers (in practice, the Scottish Prison Service and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service)
The model for community justice came in to full effect on 1 April 2017. At the same time the new national body for community justice, Community Justice Scotland, also commenced.
The Scottish Government commissioned the Care Inspectorate to develop a guide to self-evaluation for community justice in Scotland. This guide sits within the OPI Framework and is part of the wider approach that statutory partners, third sector and others can use in striving for continuous improvement and excellence in community justice.
The self-evaluation guide was also launched as part of the OPI Framework can be downloaded by clicking on the links below
A guide to self-evaluation for community justice in Scotland
Useful information and quick tips for using the self evaluation guide
The development of the guide was undertaken in a truly collaborative way that ensured key partners, services users and other stakeholders were involved throughout the development process. We met with strategic groups to discuss self-evaluation and harness their views on different approaches to the guide. We sent a survey to staff involved in delivering community justice across Scotland to hear what they thought was important. We also met with groups of people with lived experience of community justice to gather their views and ensure the guide reflected what was important to them.
While the guide is primarily for statutory partners and the third sector to use as an approach for continuous improvement and striving for excellence, it also forms the basis of the model for scrutiny and inspection of community justice in the future.
Update briefing note July 2018
Completed supported and validated self evaluations
If you have any questions about this please contact Jane Kelly on 07468702550 or by email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Positive approach to risk in play
The Care Inspectorate is showing its support for nurseries, childminders and other early years care services that take a positive approach to risk, by setting out its position on regulating for risk in play. We launched our position statement with the support of Play Scotland at their event Playing with risk: embracing the benefits with positive regulation, held in January 2016.
The Care Inspectorate’s position statement
“The Care Inspectorate supports care service providers taking a positive approach to risk in order to achieve the best outcomes for children. This means moving away from a traditional deficit model that takes a risk-averse approach, which can unnecessarily restrict children’s experiences attending registered services, to a more holistic risk-benefit model. For example, we encourage services to use risk assessment to support children to enjoy potentially hazardous activities such as woodwork using real tools, exploring nature and playing in the mud and rain. We do not expect written risk assessments to be carried out for daily play activities.”
Context
Embracing a risk-benefit approach is part of changing our regulatory culture. For example, when we inspect we now assess the experience of the children attending and try to help services to improve. Traditionally the regulator would have just measured inputs and ensured that all services complied with the expected standards.
A positive approach to risk in play is being taken by specialist outdoor-based services for children. Since the UK’s first full-time forest nursery was registered in Fife in 2008, outdoor-based services have flourished in Scotland. At this event, the Care Inspectorate celebrated the growth of these services and their contribution to developing a proportionate approach to risk.
Play Scotland support
Cherie Morgan, Play Development Officer, Play Scotland says: “We want to see a common sense approach to risk in play, where practitioners weigh up the benefits, as well as the risks involved with activities. The opportunity to face challenges in a supportive environment helps children and young people learn to assess and manage risk for themselves, and this is vitally important for their development. We’re delighted to work with the Care Inspectorate to highlight this message to those who are responsible for the day to day care of children.”
Ministerial support
Aileen Campbell MSP and Minister for Children and Young People supports this new approach with the following statement.
“In June 2013 the Scottish Government published the Play Strategy for Scotland, which seeks to improve the play experiences of all children and young people, including those with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Strategy aims to ensure all children and young people can access play opportunities in a range of settings which offer variety, adventure and challenge. They must be able to play freely and safely while learning to manage risks and make choices about where, how and when they play according to their age, stage, ability and preference.
“A huge part of this is giving regulated services the confidence to provide good quality, challenging play opportunities for children in their care. Real life experiences for children cannot be free of risk; from the very beginning children learn from trial and error, falling and getting up, testing their own boundaries and this enables them to develop their own coping strategies and resilience.
“It is important too that children with additional support needs also have the chance to experience challenging play – and that quality play opportunities are offered to all children, according to their needs and preferences.
“Myth busting in terms of what ‘safe care’ is for our children is also important. Scotland’s children deserve to be cared for in a loving, nurturing environment that includes hugs and the comfort of touch, which is even more important now that children are in care environments from a younger age and for longer periods of time.
“I am delighted that the Care Inspectorate is supporting care service providers to adopt a more holistic risk-benefit model to help them achieve the best outcomes for children. This positive approach to risk emphasises confidence in providers using their professional judgement to support, nurture and challenge the children and young people in their care.”
eForms: Information for providers about extensions
The eForms system is now available for providers. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
In order to help providers, we have extended submission dates for annual returns and some providers' self assessments. The table below shows the new deadlines.
| Process/forms | New submission date | Information for providers |
| Annual returns | 29 February 2016 | The final submission date has been extended to reflect the system being unavailable. |
| Self assessment | 18 February 2016 | Those services that were closed over the festive period and were given an extension to the end of January have another two weeks from 4 February. |
| Draft inspection reports and error response forms | 25 February 2016 | If you have been unable to view your draft report and/or submit your error response form you now have an additional fifteen working days from 4 February. |
| Final inspection reports and actions plans | 25 February 2016 |
If you have been unable to view your final report and/or submit your action plan you now have an additional 15 working days from 4 February. If you are waiting for you report to be finalised, we shall do so once the date for the error response form has passed. |
| Notifications | 25 February 2016 |
Please use our eForms to log all notifications that occured whilst the systems were not available including any you have already contacted your inspector about. Any notifications you have already submitted online will not be lost. You will be able to see what you have previously submitted to your account.
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| Any other eForms documents | For any other eForms documents (such as an application to inactive/active or vary your registration), we shall process your forms as quickly as possible. | |
| Scottish Care Home Census | April 2016 - date to be confirmed. | The submission period is not affected. You'll receive a message from us nearer the time to confirm the date of submission |
If you have any concerns please contact the Contact Centre helpline on 0345 600 9527
Falls and Fractures
The 'Managing Falls and Fractures in Care Homes for Older People good practice resource' is a revised and improved edition of the resource pack launched in 2011.
This resource pack will help staff in care homes to assess how well falls prevention and management and the prevention of fractures is being addressed in their service.
It aims to provide the answers to many of the questions care home managers have, and can also act as an educational tool for new or existing care home staff. It provides practical help, guidance and tools and signposts to resources available online.
There are a number of changes and additions in the 2016 edition.
The self assessment is still your starting point when using the resource pack; you will notice it has a few additional ‘good practice statements’ in line with the updated practice. It will help you identify what improvements, if any, you need to make in your care home to prevent falls.
Section 5 - 'Learning from falls' emphasises the importance and value of learning from the information you gather about falls. Section 2 'Guidance for improving the quality of care’ is a new section which has been added to support you to identify, plan, test and implement lasting improvements in your care home. Section 4 ‘Keeping well’ is another new section, focusing on 10 common risk areas and includes guidance, points to consider, tools and links to useful websites.
Care home stories have been added throughout the resource pack to give examples of new ways of working. To emphasise the importance of working with the wider health and social care team Section 6, ‘Working together’ has been added, which suggests ways to develop and improve links.
And finally, some tools in the toolkit have been updated and new tools added including a falls data spreadsheet to gather and analyse information about falls in your care home (this is accessible on the internet along with instructions for its use) and a DVD education pack that goes with the falls awareness DVD that came out with the original pack.
Please make use of the revised resource in a way that fits with the needs of the staff and residents in your care home. We hope you find it useful, comprehensive and easy to use. Most importantly we hope it supports you to improve the care and lives of older people at risk of falling.
The resource can be downloaded here or by clicking on the image above.
Resource Tools
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Tool 1a The Model for Improvement
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Tool 1b The Model for Improvement and PDSA cycle planning and progress proforma
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Tool 2a Improvement log
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Tool 2b Action plan
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Tool 4a Multifactorial Falls Risk Screen (MFRS) and falls care plan
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Tool 4b Care home resident falls and fracture risk/intervention tool
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Tool 6 Falls management checklist
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Tool 10 Protocol for measuring lying/standing blood pressure (BP) (checking for Orthostatic Hypotension)
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Tool 13 Bedrail risk assessment
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Tool 14 Seating matters
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Tool 15 Post fall pathway for managing a resident who has fallen or has been found on the floor
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Tool 16 Telecare matters: A quick guide to technology enabled care and support
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Tool 17a Guidelines for completing a post falls/incident report form
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Tool 17b Post fall/incident report form
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Tool 18b Care home monthly falls diary
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Tool 19 Fall data spreadsheet
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Tool 20a Procedure for the use of measles chart/falls plotting
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Tool 20b Measles chart example
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Tool 21b Falls safety cross
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Tool 22 Training database
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Tool 23 Managing falls and fractures in care homes for older people: DVD education pack (This links with the falls awareness DVD which is available below)
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Tool 24 Service directory
Watch the falls awareness educational video here.
We first published the resource in 2011 and carried out and evaluation in 2012. You can read the full evaluation report here.
For more information please contact Fiona Currie, Improvement Adviser at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Strength and Balance DVD to prevent falls and keep well
A DVD has been produced by Active Fife in partnership with Paths for All and is accompanied by their 'Walk Your Way to Better Strength and Balance' leaflet. Anyone outside of Fife who wishes to get copies of the DVD or leaflet can get them directly from Paths For All or through their local health walking group.
The videos contained within the DVD are also available through Paths for All on YouTube.
Useful information
Make Every Moment Count
We have worked with a team of experts to develop the ‘Make Every Moment Count’ resource, an information leaflet which contains easy to read and simple guidance for everyone supporting older people in a care home or at home.
The resource highlights how making the most of every moment can make a real difference to a person’s quality of life in simple but very meaningful ways.
The five key messages are:
- Get to know me
- It's not just what you do... it's how you make me feel
- Know what I can do and support me to do it
- Help me feel comfortable, safe and secure in my surroundings
- Remember little things all add up
By providing key messages on how to better understand an individual’s needs, values and lifestyle, the guide will help people working in care services to deliver an enhanced experience for Scotland’s older people.
Hear more about the resource in our video.
To order copies of this information leaflet, poster or DVD, please call our enquiries team on 0345 600 9527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Some signposts to useful information
www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/dementia
http://www.nmhdu.org.uk/silo/files/lets-respect-toolkit-for-care-homes-.pdf
http://www.bhfactive.org.uk/home/index.html
http://www.active-ageing-events.org.uk/home/index.html
Actively Engaged
Variations around the skills mix in care homes
Care homes for older people
The Care Inspectorate is aware of the challenges faced by some care providers on the recruitment and retention of nurses in the care sector. Some care providers have approached us about reconfiguring their staffing model, to develop the role of their senior care workers so that they can deploy their nurses more effectively and in some cases reduce reliance on agency nursing in order to promote more stable staff teams.
The Care Inspectorate recognises and strongly supports the role that nurses play in many care homes, particularly in providing clinical leadership and planning care for residents. We are also keen to support innovation in care that reflects changing needs and demands, where this improves outcomes for service users.
Where care homes for older people are proposing to vary the skills mix in a care home, and this would require a change to staffing schedules, we will consider proposals through our registration variations process. We expect such proposals to improve the quality of care for residents. We will ask care homes to provide us with specific information to support the variation request.
If agreed, we may place specific time-limited conditions on the registration of the service. We will expect any such initiative to be evaluated by the care home provider, before consideration is given to confirming these arrangements as permanent. Where a variation is agreed, the next inspection of the care home is likely to look at all quality themes, even if the home has been performing at a high level for some time.
Prior to submitting your variation, the registration team will be able to advise on what actions you should be taking to support your application. This should include engagement with local commissioners, as well as with residents and relatives and the development of a plan to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of your initiative. Please note, cost saving will not be an acceptable reason for application.
Care...about physical activity
The Care Inspectorate’s Care about Physical Activity (CAPA) programme ran from April 2017 to May 2020.
CAPA used an improvement approach to help care providers build physical activity and more movement into the daily lives of those they support. Sometimes within hospitals and care settings and even in our own homes, older people can get out of the habit of moving. This has negative consequences. Prolonged sitting leads to poor health such as frailty, falls and bone health. It also results in a poorer quality of life, depression and loneliness.
Moving more often during the day is of crucial importance to older people’s health and wellbeing. Increasing strength and balance in particular also helps older people to remain independent for longer, have a better quality of life and contributes to reduced falls.
A report, including detail, stories and information from the programme, can be accessed here.
Managers and staff who work with older people from:
*Care at Home *Day Care *Care Homes
*Sheltered Housing *Very sheltered housing *Respite care
across 19 Health & Social Care Partnership areas were involved with the CAPA programme (see map below)
Care professionals of all levels, local inspectors, designated partnership leads, integration leads, community and leisure groups and others came together at a variety of learning events (see red tags on the map). Those present were supported to understand how movement contributes to positive health and wellbeing.
Participants were supported to translate this understanding into developing their own movement ideas in their own settings with the people they knew well. Principles of Community Connection, Organisational Culture and Physical Activity Participation were examined from the viewpoint of each service.
For example, how could residents in a care home connect with others in their community in an area of interest.
Some services used an established battery of physical and psychological tests/ questionnaires to track improvement and to contribute this data to the overall evaluation of the programme.
The CAPA programme complemented the work of adult service inspectors who support services to provide high quality care and support that is right for each person as part of their scrutiny and improvement role.
Independent research commissioned by the Care Inspectorate investigated psychological and physiological impacts of moving more often. The first phase evaluation found that older people involved in the programme have significantly improved their hand grip strength, their low leg strength, gradually increased their flexibility which improved mobility and levels of independence and significantly reduced their likelihood of falls as a result of moving more. People also experienced greater life satisfaction and felt less anxious.
Case studies
Click on the selection of short films below showing what happened when care professionals found ways to promote more movement for those they support. These films can be used in team meetings or viewed by staff who are interested in finding new ideas to improve health and wellbeing.
Margaret's story (Care at Home)
Jacqui, a home carer, talks about how promoting movement is not as time consuming as they originally thought and how they are helping people receiving care at home to incorporate moving more into their daily lives
Jean's story (Day Care)
See how day care centre staff supported Jean to get out of her wheelchair. Jean started to walk, became more active, enjoyed increased energy levels and took up hobbies and passions.
Beth's story (Care Home)
Show this short film to spark discussion at team meetings. Listen to how Beth's quality of life improved when care home staff started something small.
Daphne's story (Care Home)
Care Home staff help Daphne incorporate more movement into her day which improves her health and wellbeing. Daphne’s son talks about the differences he has seen.
Care...about physical activity resources
We developed many resources together with care professionals and people experiencing care. Here is a selection that you might find useful:
'Make Every Move Count' pocket guide which helps staff understand that movement is about the small, simple things we can add into daily life that make a big difference to people experiencing care.
'Moving More Often' pocket guide. People living in their own homes have found these useful to identify what is important to them, give support to move more often every day, promote independence and the possibility of continuing to live at home.
Information for relatives This short factsheet encourages relatives and friends to support their older relative to move more often for positive health and wellbeing. Some services have found it useful to include this information in care plans, introductory packs or newsletters
My moving more improvement record People experiencing care use this to track their improvement over time. People have found this personal record motivating to use themselves, and a useful way to involve family and friends.
'Care...about physical activity' booklet outlines the original CAPA resource developed for care homes
More information and good practice stories can be found by searching further in the HUB
- Go to your area of interest (e.g. Adults & Older People), then e.g. Care Homes for adults.
Under Topics choose ‘Type - creative and physical activity ‘, or ‘Resources - case studies’ to pull up resources including films that you might find useful.
Promoting continence for people living with dementia and long term conditions
This resource highlights the fundamental and essential care and support required to give people the opportunity to remain continent and maximise their quality of life.
Its production involved people living with dementia and their families and carers as well as staff from across the health and social care sector.The resource can be used by people living with dementia and their families as part of self-management as well as by staff working across health and social care.
The resource, which was piloted across NHS assessment units, care homes, day centres and care at home services, can be used by people to manage their own continence as well as by carers, both formal and informal, in a wide variety of settings.
It contains an easy read guide, poster and DVD to support its five key messages which are:
- Know me and what’s important in my life and do what’s best for me.
- Know me and how I communicate.
- What I need to stay continent and how you can help.
- Create an environment that supports me to be independent and promotes continence.
- Look for every opportunity to promote my continence – be creative.
The project was led by the Care Inspectorate and delivered in partnership with Scottish Care, Scottish Government, NHS Continence Advisers, the Scottish Dementia Working Group, ACA and the National Dementia Carers Action Network (NDCAN).
For copies of the resource call 0345 600 9527.