About Highland Health and Social Care Partnership

Highland Health and Social Care Partnership (HHSCP) covers the same area as Highland Council.

The population of the area is around 238,000 people (as at mid-2021) and covers over 26,000 square kilometres, making it one of the largest and most sparsely populated council areas in the UK. Read more about geography, population and other key facts and figures - from Highland Council.

The population is broadly equally divided across urban areas, small towns, rural areas and very rural areas. Outside Inverness and the Inner Moray Firth, there are a number of key settlements around the area including Wick and Thurso in the far north, Fort William in the South West, Skye in the West, Aviemore in the South and Nairn in the East. These areas act as local service centres for the extensive rural areas which make up the majority of the region.

NHS Highland is the lead agency for Integrated Health and Social Care for Adults, while Highland Council is the lead agency for Integrated Health and Social Care for Children. There are four coterminous managerial areas for NHS Highland and Highland Council children’s services. There are also nine local Community Planning Partnerships.

The governance of the partnership is managed by the Joint Monitoring Committee which consists of the two lead agencies, representatives from the Third Sector, and independent partners, service users and carers. These partners are represented in strategic planning and governance processes.