A response to the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR)

In October 2022, Scottish Government announced the IRISR, to chaired by Dame Sue Bruce and reporting in June 2023. 

In October 2022, Scottish Government announced the Independent Review of Inspection Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR), to be chaired by Dame Sue Bruce and reporting in June 2023.

The IRISR is looking at how social care services are regulated and inspected across social care support services in Scotland, to ensure a human rights and person-centred approach. It will also consider how regulation and inspection of social care can deliver improved outcomes for people within a regulatory framework that meets the needs of the planned National Care Service (NCS).

Our response was submitted to the Scottish Government via CitizenSpace in December and can be accessed in full here: CCPS IRISR response December 2022

In it, we discuss the importance of investing the time and resource to meaningfully involve supported people in inspection processes. We highlight challenges in the current service registration categories and emphasise the importance of strategic inspection that takes account of the impact of commissioning and procurement approaches on the services our members can provide. We advocate for inspection and scrutiny that is focused on personal outcomes and service improvement, rather than process and compliance. In the challenges of the current context, we note that scrutiny and workforce regulation also need be consistent, realistic and supportive of our member organisations.