Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) Project

Published date
Last updated
Authors
Dr Alison Donaldson
Dr Christine McAlpine
Professor Phyo Myint
Topic tags
Cross-cutting Primary/Acute

Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) is a Scottish national evaluation project focusing on care of older people across Scotland in both primary and secondary care settings.

What is SCoOP?

SCoOP has the following overarching aims:

  • To evaluate the variation in service provision for older people who require health and social care in various settings to serve as a driver for standardisation and improvementof care across Scotland.
  • To provide benchmarking tools for various care aspects of older people in Scottish NHS health and social care setting to support improvement work in services across Scotland.
  • To provide a health intelligence and knowledge transfer hub for service users , health care providers and policy makers through annual evaluation cycles.

This is a joint initiative set up in late 2016 by three key partners: Health Improvement Scotland, the British Geriatrics Society Scotland Council, and the University of Aberdeen as the lead Academic Institution, with representatives from other Scottish Universities with Clinical Academic Departments in Geriatric Medicine.

SCoOP Acute Hospitals Outcomes Reports

Annual reports providing an overview of outcomes of acute geriatric medicine services in Scotland.

The latest report, SCoOP Acute Hospital Outcomes Report: 2022/23, was published on 15 December 2025. This report provides an overview of outcomes of acute geriatric medicine services in Scotland after the COVID lockdown. 

NEW: SCoOP Acute Hospitals Outcomes Report: 2022/23
pdf
8.47 MB
SCoOP Acute Hospital Outcomes Report: 2021/22
pdf
2.02 MB
SCoOP Acute Hospital Outcomes Report: 2018/19
pdf
4.05 MB
SCoOP Acute Hospital Outcomes Report: 2017/18
pdf
7.31 MB

SCoOP CGA in Acute Hospitals 2019

This report summarises findings from an audit on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) provision in acute Scottish hospitals in 2019. This initial analysis highlights variation in the ways comprehensive geriatric specialist care is accessed, structured and staffed across Scotland, with established frailty units only in a quarter of Scottish Hospitals.

 

SCoOP Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Secondary Care Audit (2019)
pdf
1.52 MB

SCoOP Resources

Papers, posters and presentations giving further detail and analysis on SCoOP's mission and data.

Papers

15
Dec
2025

Pharmaceutical care support to care homes in Scotland post-COVID-19 lockdown: Scottish care of older people national service evaluation results & recommendations

Care home residents are older with complex care needs associated with frailty, multimorbidity, and resultant polypharmacy compared to the general population.
23
Mar
2022

Postcode lottery in healthcare? Findings from the Scottish National Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Secondary Care Audit 2019

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is provided differently across Scotland.
23
Mar
2022

Variation in acute and community service provision of care of the elderly services across Scotland: findings from the Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) initial scoping survey

This report clearly demonstrates mismatch between workforce and services in both acute and community settings in the context of the population size.
14
Oct
2024

Older patients are more likely to breach the 4-hour target in Scotland

Objective: To determine if age is a factor in a patients' likelihood of breaching the 4 hour time target to admission/discharge in emergency departments (EDs) within NHS Scotland.

The sorts of insights we can gain from SCoOP are a vital first step in ensuring people living with frailty in all parts of Scotland receive the consistently great care they deserve."

- Dr Bob Caslake, Chair, BGS Scotland

Conference presentations

  1. “Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) National Audit”. 1-2 November 2017, BGS Scotland Autumn Meeting. Phyo K Myint, Christine McAlpine & Graham Ellis.
  2. Is acute care ageist? Graham Ellis, Phyo K Myint. EUGMS, Berlin, 10-12 October, 2018.
  3. “What’s the scoop on SCoOP? Update on Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) project” 26 April 2019, BGS Scotland Spring Meeting. Southhall Complex, University of Edinburgh.
  4. SCoOP update. BGS Scotland Autumn 2019, Dumfries, 22 November 2019. Marc Locherty, Christine McAlpine, Phyo K Myint.
  5. Important variations in care of the elderly services. 31 January 2019 as the First Prize paper from a doctor from training grade awarded to Dr Alison Donaldson. Presented at the Medical Trainees: On-call Handbook Symposium 2020.
1. BGS Scotland Autumn Meeting, November 2017
pptx
1.7 MB
2. EuGMS, 10-12 October 2018
pptx
6.76 MB
4. BGS Scotland Autumn Meeting, November 2019
pptx
1.6 MB
5. Medical Trainees: On-call Handbook Symposium 2020
pptx
5.39 MB

Posters

A poster summarising the latest report (2021-22) is being presented at the BGS Spring Meeting 2023. You can view this poster and abstract, and ask questions to the authors, by visiting our interactive poster platform:

Older posters
  1. Pana TA, Neal SR, Perdomo J, Donaldson AIC. On Behalf of SCoOP Steering Group. Scottish Care of Older People: initial scoping survey results. Scottish BGS Spring Meeting, Rutherglen, 27 April 2018.
  2. Older age is associated with higher percentage of breaches for 4 hour Emergency Department waiting time: Scottish Experience. Graham Ellis, PK Myint. NRS Conference, 30 October, Perth 2018.
1. SCoOP: initial scoping survey results. Scottish BGS Spring Meeting, Rutherglen, April 2018
pptx
1.06 MB
2. Older age is associated with higher percentage of breaches for 4 hour Emergency Department waiting time: Scottish Experience.
pdf
465.95 KB

SCoOP Steering Group

  • Professor Phyo Kyaw Myint, University of Aberdeen
  • Dr Christine McAlpine, BGS Scotland
  • Dr Alison IC Donaldson, Dr Bob Caslake

 

  • Dr Amanda Barugh, NHS Lothian
  • Dr Louise Beveridge, NHS Tayside
  • Dr Anthony Byrne, NHS Forth Valley
  • Dr Robert Caslake, BGS Scotland Council Chair
  • Dr Amy Conley, Dumfries & Galloway
  • Dr Claire Copeland
  • Dr Alice Einarsson, NHS Shetland
  • Miss Beatrix Elsberger, Breast Oncology Lead
  • Dr Alison Falconer, NHS Lanarkshire (2022)
  • Dr Jennifer (Jenny) Lonnen, NHS Borders (2022)
  • Dr Allan MacDonald, NHS Highland
  • Mr David A McDonald MBE, Modernising Patient Pathways Programme
  • Dr Morven McElroy, NHS Glasgow & Clyde
  • Dr Laura McGarrity, RCoA Scotland
  • Dr Lara Mitchell, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
  • Professor Susan Moug, ELLSA
  • Professor Terence Quinn, University of Glasgow
  • Mr George Ramsay, University of Aberdeen
  • Professor Sir Lewis Ritchie, University of Aberdeen
  • Dr Susan Shenkin, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Lynn Shields, NHS Grampian (Jennifer Lowrie- Maternity cover)
  • Professor Roy L Soiza, Scottish Society of Physicians
  • Dr Ralph Thomas, NHS Fife
  • Dr Rowan Wallace, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
  • Miss Eilaine White, University of Dundee
  • Ms Vicky Hough, Older People Pharmacy Services

 

 

  • Ms Penny Bond, HIS (2017-2018)
  • Ms. Karen Goulding, HIS (2017-2018)
  • Dr Alice Einarsson, NHS Shetland (2017-2019)
  • Dr Andrew Coull, NHS Lothian (2017-2019)
  • Mr Scott Buchanan, NHS National Services Scotland (2018-2020)
  • Dr Andrew Watt, NHS Ayrshire & Arran (2017-2020)
  • Mrs Geraldine Jordan, Health Care Improvement Scotland (2018-2021)
  • Professor Graham Ellis, NHS Lanarkshire & Co-Chair (2016-2021)
  • Dr Jennifer Burns (2016-2021)
  • Professor Corri Black, Grampian DASH (2016-2021)
  • Dr Alan McKenzie, BGS Scotland (2017-2021)
  • Dr Graeme Hoyle, NHS Grampian (2017-2022)