The Scottish Government’s new long-term conditions framework: demand, delivery and making it work
Tuesday 09th December 2025
Over a third of people in Scotland live with at least one long-term health condition. However, fragmented services, variation in provision across regions and rising multi-morbidity mean many people face long waits, inconsistent support and avoidable inequalities. Scotland’s challenge therefore is to deliver a unified, cross-cutting framework of care that strengthens prevention, coordination and equity and turns strategic ambition into tangible change for patients and communities.
The scale and complexity of long-term conditions in Scotland is growing. These conditions affect not only health, but also employment, income, mental wellbeing and social participation. For many, managing their health involves navigating multiple unconnected services and repeating their story to different professionals.
The Scottish Government’s proposed Long-Term Conditions Framework signals a shift away from siloed, condition-specific policies to a coordinated approach addressing common challenges across all conditions. This includes prevention, early intervention, improved access to services and equitable support across geographic and socio-economic divides.
This transition will demand new models of integrated care, workforce planning and collaboration across NHS boards, local authorities, social care providers and the third sector. Data sharing, digital innovation and co-production with patients and communities will be central to success. Equally, tackling health inequalities must be at the heart of reform. Deprivation, geography, cultural barriers and discrimination mean that some groups develop conditions earlier, live with greater disease burden and have poorer outcomes. Overcoming these challenges will require targeted interventions and sustained partnerships beyond healthcare alone.
This conference examines the opportunities and challenges for addressing long-term condition services in Scotland holistically, putting patient experiences at the forefront and retaining focus on outcomes and delivery. It considers these themes in three sessions:
- The policy shift from condition-specific to cross-cutting care
- Improving patient access, coordination and outcomes
- Turning vision into delivery – next steps for reform
Topics to be discussed
- The policy shift from condition-specific to cross-cutting care
- From siloes to systems – integrating policy for long-term conditions
- The role of realistic medicine in long-term conditions policy
- Learning from international models of integrated long-term condition care
- Improving patient access, coordination and outcomes
- Tackling inequities in access to long-term condition services
- Data and digital transformation for long-term conditions care
- Whole person, whole system care
- Turning vision into delivery – next steps for reform
- Moving from strategy to measurable change
- The role of the third sector and communities in delivery
- Building a sustainable workforce for long-term conditions care
Who should attend
- NHS board executives and clinical directors
- Health and Social Care Partnership leaders
- Local authority health and wellbeing leads
- Public health directors and health improvement professionals
- Leaders of patient advocacy and long-term condition charities
- Clinicians in primary, secondary, and community care
- Allied health professionals
- Third sector and voluntary organisation leaders
- Social care service providers
- Digital health and data innovation specialists
- Academics and researchers in health policy and inequalities
Speakers
Irene Oldfather (Dr)
Director of Strategic Partnerships, External Affairs and Outreach
ALLIANCE (Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland)
Laura Wilson
Director for Scotland
Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland
Agenda
Tuesday 09th December 2025
09:25 Chair's opening remarks
Laura Wilson, Director for Scotland, Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland
Session 1: The policy shift from condition-specific to cross-cutting care
09:30 Keynote speaker: from siloes to systems – integrating policy for long-term conditions
- Rationale for moving from condition-specific to integrated strategies
- Prioritisation and evidence-based policymaking in resource-limited contexts
- Lessons from international approaches to integrated care
09:45 Question and answer session
09:55 The role of realistic medicine in long-term conditions policy
- Patient-centred care principles in the long-term conditions framework
- Making best use of resources without compromising quality
- Training and culture change for health professionals
10:10 Learning from international models of integrated long-term condition care
- Comparative analysis of international long-term condition strategies
- Transferable models for prevention, access and care coordination
- Policy levers for adoption in Scotland
10:25 Question and answer session
10:40 Comfort break
Session 2: Improving patient access, coordination and outcomes
10:55 Tackling inequities in access to long-term condition services
- Targeting resources to deprived and marginalised communities
- Cultural competence and language accessibility in healthcare
- Rural and island service delivery innovations
11:10 Data and digital transformation for long-term conditions care
- Integrating health and care data across services
- Using digital tools to empower patients and professionals
- Privacy, consent, and equitable access to technology
11:25 Whole person, whole system care
Dr Irene Oldfather, Director Strategic Partnerships, External Affairs and Outreach, Health and Social Care Alliance
- Models of integrated care pathways
- Reducing patient burden and duplication in services
- Partnership working between NHS, social care and third sector
11:40 Question and answer session
11:55 Comfort break
Session 3: Turning vision into delivery – next steps for reform
12:10 Moving from strategy to measurable change
- Criteria for prioritising condition-specific and cross-cutting actions
- Setting measurable outcomes and indicators
- Transparent reporting and accountability
12:25 The role of the third sector and communities in delivery
- Collaborative commissioning with voluntary organisations
- Peer support models and co-production in service design
- Scaling up community-based interventions
12:40 Building a sustainable workforce for long-term conditions care
- Skills and training for multi-condition care
- Supporting staff wellbeing and retention
- New professional roles in integrated care teams
12:55 Question and answer session
13:10 Chair's closing remarks
Laura Wilson, Director for Scotland, Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland
Speakers
Irene Oldfather (Dr)
Director of Strategic Partnerships, External Affairs and Outreach
ALLIANCE (Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland)
ALLIANCEScot
IreneOldfather
Irene represents the ALLIANCE on a range of national and Advisory bodies including the Health and Social Care Partners Group, the IHub Board, the Focus on Dementia Advisory Forum and Living Well in Communities Board.
As Scotland’s Third Sector representative on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) working across the ALLIANCE and third sector to ensure a strong voice for the Sector in this difficult and uncertain pre Brexit environment.
On a day to day basis Irene manages key areas of ALLIANCE activity such as Carer Voices, Sensory Impairment, Neurological Conditions, Our Voice and Self Management.
As a former MSP and Chair of the Scottish Parliament European and External Affairs Committee she maintains a keen interest in parliamentary activities.
Special interests:
- Older People and Dementia including Charter of Rights for People with Dementia developed in Parliament
- Integration – driving change and improvement
- Working with European partners to share knowledge and practice
- Public Health/Prevention Agenda
Laura Wilson
Director for Scotland
Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland
RPharms
Laura Wilson went to Strathclyde University and did her pre-reg in community pharmacy.
Starting work at Crosshouse Hospital in Ayrshire, she then spent 14 years as a pharmacy manager for Morrisons in Kilmarnock.
Laura was one of the first pharmacists to qualify as a prescriber, within her clinical area of psychiatry. After setting up prescribing clinics in mental health within an addiction service, she ran a clinic from the pharmacy consultation room.
She also became an RPS spokesperson, promoting the role of pharmacy in the media and at political conferences.
After moving to Addiction services within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, she led a project to change how pharmacies are paid for treating patients receiving opiate substitution therapy, leading to a more person-centred model. She was also seconded to Strathclyde University as a teacher practitioner for two years.
Laura is interested in drug misuse and addiction, mental health and education, and training. After taking the role of Policy and Practice Lead at RPS, one of the first policies she wrote was Improving care, reducing harm and preventing death in People Who Use Drugs: Pharmacy’s role.
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 0131 556 1500
- 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.
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