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Safer care for Scotland - a manifesto for change
18 Feb 2026
Did you know?
- Scotland’s health service has seen a 55% increase in serious patient safety incidents in the last four years
- The percentage of people reporting mental health conditions has more than doubled
- Scotland has the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe
There has been positive progress in Scotland through investments in health innovation and action taken to tackle risks in non-surgical cosmetics. However, the next Scottish Government will face major challenges improving health and social care services including funding, workforce shortages and safety.
In our manifesto, we set out our recommendations to the next Scottish Government to help them tackle some of the big challenges within health and social care across Scotland. We also outline how professional regulation can help to make care safer and call for Government to support regulators to allow them to do more to help.
Priorities for the next Scottish Government
1. Tackle the health and care workforce crisis
What can the next Scottish Government do?
- Develop a robust regulatory strategy to guide decisions on oversight for health professionals – one that supports the successful delivery of Scotland’s workforce plan and proactively manages risks arising from workforce changes.
- Push for a level playing field for the PSA Accredited Registers Programme – ensuring an equivalent legislative and policy framework to help actively manage risk, including considering mandating registration for critical areas like mental health and healthcare science.
2. Close the safety gaps
What can the next Scottish Government do?
- Put safety first – maintain the momentum in introducing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures promptly to address the existing public protection gap.
- Learn from past mistakes – create a unified process and accountability mechanism so that learning from every major inquiry across Scotland and the UK leads to real, measurable change.
3. Support regulation to improve workplace culture and enable a preventative approach
What can the next Scottish Government do?
- Accelerate modernisation – fast track the four-country reform programme to overhaul healthcare professional regulation to allow regulators to support ambitious prevention goals.
- Demand accountability and consistency – review accountability and regulatory arrangements for senior leaders and managers and aim for consistent standards across the UK.
- Joined-up accountability – support strategic reflection on the right balance between employer and regulator remits and responsibilities.