The strategy sets out commitments to change the system of public services in Scotland – to be preventative, to better join up and to be efficient - in order to better deliver for people. It identifies the underlying systemic barriers and root causes which prevent moving faster and further, and sets out practical actions to overcome those barriers. 

The strategy sets out the core beliefs about public services, a vision for Scotland, where public services are at now, what needs to change, the commitments, and how progress will be measured and understood. The vision is of a Scotland where everyone has access to services that are efficient, good quality and effective. 

The strategy will tackle barriers to change across three pillars: prevention, delivering joined up services and efficiency. These pillars are mutually supporting and each pillar seeks to reduce cost. It includes an annex of projections of avoided public spending.

Throughout the strategy, workstreams are used to describe work to be implemented to remove systemic barriers, working horizontally across services. Programmes provide examples of work that is already in place to address specific issues.