We monitor independent healthcare services regularly.
We do this by using announced and unannounced inspection methods.
Inspection process
We gather intelligence from:
- self-evaluations
- annual returns
- notifications
- complaints
- enforcement activity
- other professional bodies
This helps to inform our risk-based and proportionate approach to regulation.
Our inspection process:
- takes account of relevant legislation that providers must comply with
- is risk based, proportionate and uses information from multiple sources to inform our decision making
- asks providers to evaluate themselves against the Quality Assurance Framework, identify improvements and tell us what actions they are taking to remedy these
- leads to published inspection reports with grades and clear information about the quality of independent healthcare being provided
- promotes the principle of involving people
Who we involve in our inspections
To understand the quality of care delivered, we need to know the views of:
- those receiving care
- those delivering care
During our inspections, we focus on people who use the service. We also promote ways that providers can improve people’s experience of using the service.
We talk with:
- patients
- carers
- their families using the service
- those delivering the service
Our inspections focus mainly on outcomes for patients. This includes the care they received and how that care affected their lives.
We also evaluate the processes in place to ensure care and treatment is delivered safely.
The Quality Assurance Framework helps us to maintain this focus.
What we look at during inspection
The Quality Assurance Framework contains seven ‘Quality Domains’. These are grouped into three ‘Key Focus Areas’.
Under each domain, there are several ‘Quality Indicators’.
We use these key focus areas, domains and indicators to assess how well care and treatment is delivered.
Requirements and recommendations
A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of an independent healthcare provider to comply with the National Health Services (Scotland) Act 1978, regulations or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of the Act, regulations or conditions, a requirement must be made.
Requirements are enforceable.
A recommendation is a statement which sets out what a service should do to align with relevant standards and guidance.
Ongoing monitoring
We ask providers to submit regular information to us to make sure our inspection process is efficient and effective. This includes self-evaluation, annual returns and notifications.
Inspection frequency
The Service Risk Assessment (SRA) procedure is an operational planning tool. It provides us with an ongoing, risk-based and proportionate framework for planning inspections.
This helps us target our resources so that we:
- reduce our inspections of services performing well
- increase our inspection of services with poorer performance.
Resources to support you
| Resource | Source | What it is and what’s it for? |
| Self-evaluation tool | Healthcare Improvement Scotland | This self-evaluation tool is for information only. The self-evaluation must be completed and submitted through our online portal. |
| Self-evaluation guidance | Healthcare Improvement Scotland | This document is a practical guide for undertaking self-evaluation against our Quality Assurance Framework. |
| Independent healthcare inspection methodology | Healthcare Improvement Scotland | Our inspection methodology. Describes in detail how we conduct our inspections of independent healthcare services. |