Health and Care Staffing in Scotland

Welcome to the Health and Care Staffing learning site.

Our workforce is the most important asset in the delivery of safe and effective care to the people of Scotland. Our skilled and compassionate health and social care employees make up the largest workforce in Scotland

To deliver safe and effective care, we need to ensure there are the right people with the right skills in the right numbers and in the right place at the right time. 

The introduction of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 provides the statutory basis for the provision of appropriate staffing in health and social care services. This enables safe, high quality care and improved outcomes for staff as well as service users. 

The Health and Care Staffing in Scotland Knowledge and Skills Framework reflects the guiding principles for health and care staffing.   It will support you in understanding the requirements of  your role in the application of the Act.

This includes workforce and workload planning and what the Act means for : 

• you as an individual 
• your team 
• your service 
• your healthboard or organisation 

Please watch the video below to find out more. 

You can access the framework from the menu bar on the left hand side 

The four levels of the Framework can be worked through in a variety of ways.  There is information contained within each of the four levels that could be valuable no matter what your role and responsibility. Please use all resources as both a means of bite sized learning and reference, to be accessed at anytime.

Although aimed at the enhanced level, the Sway guide to the Act, provides valuable information for staff at all levels. This is accessible here, and via the "enhanced level" tab

Please note that our learning resources are currently being updated and this is an ongoing process.

Within our informed and skilled level resources we are aware we have an older graphic of the Common Staffing Method (CSM).  The current version has minimal changes and can be found within the following resources:

1.        CSM Quick Guide

2.        CSM SWAY guide