Improving Health and Social Care Together
Listening to People, Removing Barriers and Building Sustainable Services
Shetland Health and Social Care Partnership brings together NHS Shetland and Shetland Islands Council to plan and deliver joined-up health and care services. During 2025/26, staff worked with people who use services, carers and communities to make improvement more participative, accessible and sustainable. This shared approach can be seen across three areas of work.
Listening to people's experiences has helped teams understand what is working well and where services could improve. Feedback has been gathered through patient and service-user surveys, direct conversations and engagement activities. In Primary Care, feedback identified areas for improvement in communication and consultation skills, leading to targeted learning and development for staff. Positive feedback has also been shared to recognise good practice and support staff morale.
The Partnership has also made important information easier to understand. An Easy Read version of the IJB Annual Performance Report uses plain language, shorter sentences, clear layouts and supporting images. This helps more people understand how services are performing, what the Partnership's priorities are and how public money is being used. It also encourages staff to consider accessibility when preparing other reports and public information.
Community Care Resources (CCR) has complemented this work by building practical, climate-conscious changes into everyday care. Digital meetings, reduced printing, better route planning and action to reduce waste are helping to limit unnecessary travel and resource use. During severe weather, working with families, neighbours and local networks also helps people remain safe and supported while avoiding journeys that may not be necessary.
"It's amazing how small changes can make a big difference. Simply asking whether a meeting can be held digitally saves time, reduces fuel consumption, and helps protect our climate. … We are at our best when we all pull together."
Heidi Wharton-Baum, Acting Executive Manager, CCR
Impact
Together, these examples show partnership working moving beyond consultation towards practical change. People's experiences have influenced staff development; accessible reporting is reducing barriers to understanding and participation; and climate-conscious working is helping services use time and resources more effectively while remaining resilient. The common outcome is a stronger focus on services that are shaped with people, communicate clearly and respond to Shetland's circumstances.
Learning and next steps
The work shows that improvement is strongest when participation, accessibility and sustainability are built into everyday practice rather than treated as separate activities. Using a mix of surveys, direct conversations and engagement activities helps capture different experiences and needs. The next step is to continue showing people how their feedback has influenced decisions, share learning across partner organisations and strengthen evidence of the difference these changes make over time.
Contribution to the Shetland Partnership
- Participation: People who use services, carers and communities have helped shape staff learning and service improvement.
- People: More accessible information and learning from people's experiences support better and more inclusive services.
- Place: Practical route planning and community support during severe weather respond directly to Shetland's geography and island context.
- Money: Reducing unnecessary travel, printing and waste supports more effective use of public resources.