Scotland's Public Service Reform: understanding what is happening now and next

Thursday 04th February 2027

Scotland's public services face mounting financial pressures, rising demand and growing expectations. But will the Scottish Government's ambitious reform proposals deliver better services and genuine savings, or simply create new structures and disruption? With major questions about costs, accountability and implementation unanswered, public bodies need clarity about what is changing and what comes next.

The proposals reach across Scotland's public sector from local government and the NHS to social care, transport, environmental agencies and other public bodies. They raise fundamental questions about who will do what, where powers will sit and how services will be organised and delivered.

However, structural change brings significant challenges. How will mergers and reorganisation affect frontline services, specialist expertise and local accountability? Can the promised savings be achieved while managing transition costs, workforce pressures and already stretched budgets?

As proposals move towards decisions, legislation and implementation, organisations need clarity. Understanding the timetable, the opportunities to influence reform and the implications for responsibilities, staff and services are critical.

This conference will examine the emerging reform programme, the changes facing key public services and the practical challenges of delivery. It will explore what has been decided, what remains uncertain and what organisations need to do to prepare.

This online conference will focus on three themes:

• Rewiring the state – strategy, structures and local government
• Restructuring public services – care, transport and the environment
• The challenges of reform – costs, capacity and delivering change

Topics the conference will explore

• Rewiring the state – strategy and structures
• Scotland's public service reform and the road to 2031
• Local government restructuring – regions, communities and powers
• NHS reorganisation, two strategic boards and a new delivery model
• Reshaping public services
• Social care reform – who leads, who funds, who delivers?
• The future of transport governance, integration and delivery
• Environmental reform – one body, multiple responsibilities
• Core challenges around costs, capacity and delivery
• Restructuring public bodies – simplification or disruption?
• Finances and workforce – can reform deliver the savings?
• From ambition to delivery – can reform work in practice?

Who should attend?

This conference is aimed at professionals, policymakers and organisations involved in shaping, overseeing and delivering Scotland's public services, as well as those seeking to understand and prepare for the impact of public sector reform. It will be relevant to:

• Local authorities: Chief executives, directors, heads of service and other officers across corporate services, finance, governance, strategic planning, service transformation, community planning and workforce development.
• Scottish Government, national agencies and public bodies: Policymakers, senior officials and others involved in public service reform, organisational restructuring, governance, performance, efficiency and service delivery.
• NHS and health services: NHS board executives, directors, senior managers and other professionals working in strategic planning, service redesign, regional collaboration, finance, workforce planning and organisational transformation.
• Social care and integration: Integration Joint Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, social work services, care providers and professionals involved in social care planning, commissioning, funding and service integration.
• Transport and infrastructure: Transport Scotland, Regional Transport Partnerships, transport authorities, ferry bodies, infrastructure agencies and other professinals, including those responsible for governance, investment, planning and service delivery.
• Environment, regulation and public bodies: Environmental agencies, regulators, inspectorates, national public bodies and other organisations affected by proposed mergers, consolidation, changes to statutory functions and governance arrangements.
• Finance, workforce and corporate services: Finance directors, HR and organisational development professionals, procurement and shared services managers, digital transformation leads and those responsible for delivering efficiency programmes and organisational change.
• Third sector and service providers: Voluntary organisations, social enterprises, commissioned service providers, representative bodies and partnerships involved in public service delivery, commissioning, funding and accountability.
• Trade unions and professional bodies: Public sector trade unions, professional associations and representative organisations concerned with workforce implications, service standards, organisational restructuring and public accountability.
• Advisers, academics and specialists: Public policy researchers, governance specialists, economists, auditors, consultants, legal advisers and other professionals working in public sector reform, organisational transformation and public service improvement.

Speakers

Stephen Boyd

Director

IPPR Scotland

Graeme Roy

Vice Principal & Head of College of Social Sciences - University of Glasgow

Chair, Scottish Fiscal Commission