About this project

Welcome to the Fit for the Future website, we’re glad you could make it

Fit for the Future is a project that has been working to inspire better outcomes for older people in Scotland by working with providers from the independent sector. The project is a partnership between Iriss and Scottish Care that spanned four geographical areas, lasted 16 months and worked closely with 18 independent providers.

We know that change is tough, so we’re here to help

There are more people in Scotland over 65 years old than there have ever been before, and those numbers will continue to rise. These demographic changes, paired with increasing financial constraints, mean that the traditional models of care and support for older people are not sustainable. Find out more about the challenges facing providers.

We believe that these pressures are a unique opportunity for providers to work with people in the community in more creative ways to do more with less.

It can be tough to embrace change, so we’re sharing some real life experiences to help you think about your own future.

Something for everyone

We have worked with care homes and care at home providers across Scotland to support innovation and service redesign. We explored lots of key areas such as outcomes, care in times of transition, community links and compassion. Some of our journeys were about radical change, but most were about how making small changes can make a big difference for older people.

We hope you find what you’re looking for, and that maybe you’ll be inspired along the way.

Where do I start?

The resources are split into four categories: small steps, walk, run and fly. The former categories are about small changes that you could make today, and the latter are longer, more challenging projects.

We recommend that you start where you’re comfortable or if you’re not sure... start from the start!

And of course, we believe that you should have the right people with you from the start including people who access support and strategic partners like the Care Inspectorate.

Let’s talk about failure

Some of these stories are about projects that met with barriers; ideas that never became a reality and the challenges of working together. We believe that by sharing stories of failure we are sharing our learning and showing a genuine picture of what change really looks like: messy.

The Library

These are some resources that helped inspire and inform our work. We recommend that you have a look!