Care home improvement programme

Last updated: 13 May 2026

Applications now open for our care home improvement programme cohort three.

Supported by the Scottish Social Services Council we are working with adult care homes in Scotland to deliver a national quality improvement programme.

The programme aims to enable individuals to:

  • use our self-evaluation tools, guidance, and participation approaches

  • use quality improvement methodology and tools to improve outcomes for people

  • develop approaches in leadership

  • build peer support with other care homes in their geographical area.

  • follow-up key inspection outcomes

  • develop skills to embed and sustain changes

  • celebrate success

The programme’s intended learning outcomes for participants are:

  • increased confidence to use quality improvement in the workplace

  • increased confidence in applying leadership and management tools in the workplace

  • participants will be empowered to apply their learning to make a difference for the people they care for.

Participants receive support from an improvement adviser to carry out a project aimed at addressing areas highlighted in their latest inspection report. The nominated staff members do not need to be management. We seek care home staff who can drive change and have the time to plan and test improvements to enhance outcomes for those receiving care.

The programme runs on a cohort basis. In April 2024, the first cohort focused on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Forth Valley health board areas. Cohort two ran from October 2024 to March 2025, focusing on the NHS Tayside and NHS Fife areas. Prior cohorts included four in-person events and follow-up online sessions.

Cohort three will include two in‑person events in Inverness and four online sessions on Microsoft Teams. Each care home taking part will nominate two staff members to attend these sessions. There will also be weekly online support sessions between the in‑person events. In addition, improvement advisers will arrange individual and group support sessions with services, either in person or on Microsoft Teams, to help them put the learning into practice.

Application process

Care homes for adults and older people in Highland and Moray are invited to apply for the third cohort of the Care Home Improvement Programme. While previous cohorts were limited to services with an adequate (Grade 3) evaluation, this round is open to all services, offering a wider opportunity to take part.

If you would like to apply to take part in the programme, please complete this short application form by the end of Friday 5 June 2026.

If successful, services will be assigned an improvement adviser who will serve as their primary contact throughout the programme. The improvement adviser will concentrate on supporting the improvements identified in the most recent inspection reports, or the services self-evaluation.

Participants will be empowered to apply their learning to make a difference for the people they care for. You can watch this short video to hear what a colleague from Balhousie Care Group has to say about their experience of collaborating with our improvement support section.

If you have any questions, please contact improvementsupport@careinspectorate.gov.scot