Care of Scotland's Older People 13th Annual Conference: dignity, capacity and delivery under pressure
Tuesday 17th November 2026
Care of older people in Scotland is no longer only a health and social care issue. It is now a test of dignity, capacity, workforce resilience, public finances, unpaid care, housing, hospital flow, community support and the ability of public services to respond to an ageing population. The Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework sets a 10-year direction around prevention, access, quality, person-centred care, community support and digital enablement. The aim is a transition towards preventative healthcare, increased community support and strategic integration of technology. Is aspiration being met with delivery?
This 13th annual conference will examine what older people’s care in Scotland now requires from councils, NHS boards, IJBs, care providers, housing bodies, third sector organisations, regulators and policy makers. It will consider care at home, care homes, delayed discharge, dementia, frailty, carers, prevention, rights, workforce pressure, digital support and the future of social care reform.
Public Health Scotland defines timely discharge as an indicator of quality, person-centred, effective and integrated care. Audit Scotland has described delayed discharge as a symptom of the challenges facing health and social care, affecting people’s physical and mental health and making it harder to admit others to hospital. Delayed discharge is just one of the core challenges to effective care of older people in Scotland which the conference examines.
The conference focuses on the points where older people and families most often feel the system working or failing. Getting assessed, getting home from hospital, securing reliable care at home, finding the right residential or nursing care, supporting unpaid carers, protecting people’s rights and ensuring that services are safe, humane and sustainable.
Bringing together health and social care leaders, older people’s organisations, providers, commissioners, housing specialists, carers’ organisations, scrutiny bodies, clinicians, academics and third sector voices, the conference will help delegates understand how Scotland can improve care, support independence and deliver better outcomes for older people.
This online conference will focus on three themes:
- Dignity, reform and the older people’s care settlement
- Care homes, dementia and workforce
- Rights, carers, housing and technology
Topics the conference will explore
- Understanding dignity, reform and the older people’s care settlement
- Focussing on care of older people in Scotland going into 2027 - what dignity now requires
- Embedding care at home, assessment and community support practice
- Hearing about tackling delayed discharge, hospital flow and intermediate care
- Reflecting on the challenges for care homes, on dementia and the workforce
- Addressing nursing care, care homes and the future of residential support
- Discussing the older people’s care workforce - pay, retention and resilience
- Considering rights, carers, housing and technology
- Targeting unpaid carers, rights and family pressure
- Planning for suitable housing, adaptations, digital care and ageing well at home
Who should attend?
This conference will be relevant to:
- Health and social care partnership leaders
- Council adult social care and older people’s services teams
- NHS boards, community health teams and geriatric care professionals
- Care home, nursing care and care-at-home providers
- Integrated Joint Boards and commissioning teams
- Social work, assessment and care management teams
- Delayed discharge, hospital flow and intermediate care leads
- Dementia, frailty, falls prevention and palliative care services
- Carers’ organisations and unpaid carer support teams
- Housing, adaptations, sheltered housing and extra-care housing providers
- Third sector organisations supporting older people and families
- Regulators, inspectors, complaints and safeguarding bodies
- Workforce, training and recruitment professionals in social care
- Digital health, telecare and technology-enabled care teams
- Policy, finance and planning professionals working on ageing, care, prevention and public service reform
- Elected members, board members and senior officers responsible for health, social care, housing, communities or older people’s wellbeing
Agenda
Tuesday 17th November 2026
09:05 Chair's opening remarks
Session 1: Dignity, reform and the older people’s care settlement
09:10 Keynote speaker: Care of older people in Scotland going into 2027 - what dignity now requires
- Putting dignity at the centre of reform
- Connecting care, health, housing and family support
- Making older people’s care sustainable without losing humanity
09:30 Question and answer session
09:40 Care at home, assessment and community support
- Getting the right support at the right time
- Reducing waits for assessment and packages
- Helping people stay independent for longer
10:00 Delayed discharge, hospital flow and intermediate care
- Getting people home safely and sooner
- Building step-down and intermediate care capacity
- Avoiding avoidable loss of independence in hospital
10:20 Question and answer session
10:35 Comfort break
Session 2: Care homes, dementia and workforce
10:50 Care homes, nursing care and the future of residential support
- Making care homes safe, humane and sustainable
- Supporting complex needs, frailty and dementia
- Balancing care at home with residential capacity
11:10 The older people’s care workforce - pay, retention and resilience
- Recruiting and retaining care staff
- Supporting staff wellbeing and skills
- Valuing care work properly
11:30 Question and answer session
11:45 Comfort break
Session 3: Rights, carers, housing and technology
12:00 Unpaid carers, rights and family pressure
- Supporting carers before crisis
- Making short breaks and respite real
- Protecting rights, voice and choice
12:20 Housing, adaptations, digital care and ageing well at home
- Making homes work for ageing lives
- Using telecare and digital support safely
- Linking housing, prevention and independence
12:40 Question and answer session
12:55 Chair's closing remarks
Speakers
Venue
This conference takes place online.
Fees
How to book
You can book to attend in 3 ways:
- Select book now on the right hand side of this page, fill in the form on that page and click the 'send booking' button
- Call 07377 147271
- Email mail@mackayhannah.com
Conference fees
- Delegate fee (includes video recording of the conference) – £169 +VAT
- Group discount – organisations booking 3 or more delegates will receive every third delegate place at half price (please complete further forms if necessary)
Please note – It is not permissible to share the recording. Please contact us if you wish to share it. See our terms and conditions for further information.
Payment
We do not currently accept payments online and will send you an invoice.
You have the option to pay by bank transfer or card.
Bank details will be included on the invoice.
If you wish to pay by card, please tick the appropriate box on the booking form and a member of our staff will contact you by telephone to take the payment. Alternatively you may call 07377 147271.
Terms and conditions
By placing this booking, you agree to the full terms and conditions found via the link at the foot of our website.
