Creating an Enabling Political Environment for Health and Social Care Integration

Introduction The Scottish Parliament recently passed legislation on integrating health and social care in Scotland. In this perspective paper, the clinical lead who supported the development and implementation of national policy on older people, long term conditions and integrated care in Scotland describes how political, policy and professional leaders have together created the right conditions to enable this ambitious change. The author reflects on the respective contributions from innovation, improvement, co-production, financial incentives, and through a clear focus on outcomes for people – whether patients, clients, carers, staff or citizens. The paper discusses how Scotland adapted Kotter’s eight steps for managing change and explores the transferable learning for other regions embarking on system transformation for integrated care.