Introduction to the Demonstration & Simulation Environment (DSE)

In 2008 - 2009 the Scottish Government developed a policy to ‘Shift the Balance of Care’ into the community. The basic proposition is that hospitalisation may be able to effectively treat acute needs, but that softer services in the community deliver more sustainable and holistic outcomes over time. The Scottish Government Health & Social Care Delivery Plan (2016) has mandated the integration of health and social care around the citizen – focusing effort on developing a multi-disciplinary community care model that blends services together to provide a more seamless experience. The Chief Medical Officers’ Annual Report: Realising Realistic Medicine (2017) takes this further, prompting the care community to create more predictive and proportionate care models co-managed with citizens based on their preferences and joint decision making – shifting away from a paternalistic medical model.