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The Health and Social Care Advisory Service, is an evidenced based service development organisation working in all aspects of mental health and older people’s services across the health and social care continuum.

The Health and Social Care Advisory Service started out as the Health Advisory Service within the Department of Health. Throughout its 40 year history, the Health and Social Care Advisory service has made an important contribution reporting independently on good and bad practice and offering advice and support to local services, starting with the Ely Hospital scandal in 1967. In April 1997, the Department of Health transferred management responsibility for our organisation to a consortium comprising the Royal College of Psychiatry, the British Geriatric Society and the Office of Public Management. Since this time the Health Advisory Service has evolved into the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS). We have been a registered charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee since 1997.

Since 2005 HASCAS has not been managed by its original consortium, choosing to become entirely independent.

HASCAS maintains its traditional links and functions. We are proud of the fact that our organisation very much pioneered the usage and adoption of standards and systematic methodology when conducting service reviews and inquiries. This evidence based, objective and robust way of working is central to everything that we do. Our values encompass the following:

• the experience of service users and carers is a priority for us and we aim to make a positive difference to people’s lives and their experience of the services that they use;
• we aim to be systematic, rigorous and reflective, building on the available evidence provided by research, practice and user experience;
• we aim to add value to health and social care through using our extensive experience to work alongside organisations, starting with where they are and using interventions designed to strengthen local capacity;
• we aim to be an organisation that is constantly learning from our work, and that contributes to the learning of others.

HASCAS affords a real opportunity to the service because of its independence and its ability to be reflective and raise issues that may otherwise be overlooked because of other priorities. HASCAS adds choice and diversity in service development and enhances and challenges the thinking about services and the experience of those that use them. Over every 24 month period HASCAS works with an average of 60 NHS Trusts. In addition we also work with SHAs, social services, Higher Education institutions, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defense.

We believe that we can help your organisation in a wide variety of ways, and can ensure excellent service, value for money and an experienced team with national standing.

 

Androulla Johnstone
Chief Executive