The Scottish Government has decided to scrap its National Care Service plans after losing support from key stakeholders. A new advisory board will take its place.
Edinburgh: So, the Scottish Government has officially ditched its plans for a National Care Service. It seems like they just couldn’t get enough support to make it happen. Social care minister Maree Todd announced this change, saying the idea of a central care board is off the table.
Last year, a bunch of folks, including opposition politicians and local councils, pulled their backing. It got so bad that Todd had to hit pause on the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. But don’t worry, the Bill will still move forward, just without the big overhaul of social care.
Instead, they’re going to include something called Anne’s Law. This will let care home residents have a named visitor, even if there are restrictions in place. It’s a response to the concerns that popped up during the pandemic.
Todd mentioned they’re still committed to improving social care in Scotland, but they’re going to take a different route. She said they’ll set up an advisory board to look at adult social care, which should kick off in March.
This board will include people who actually use care services, unpaid carers, and folks from the NHS and local government. Todd wants someone independent to lead it, ideally someone who knows what it’s like to access care.
She acknowledged that the current system isn’t working well. There’s no clear idea of what good care looks like, and problems in local areas often spiral out of control. They plan to review health and social care standards to tackle these issues more effectively.
Of course, not everyone is happy about this. Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr. Sandesh Gulhane didn’t hold back, calling the whole situation a “humiliating display of arrogance.” He’s not impressed with how the SNP has handled things.
Scottish Labour’s Dame Jackie Baillie also chimed in, saying the National Care Service was supposed to be a big deal but now it’s just sidelined. She pointed out that not a single penny of the £30 million budget has been spent on care packages, which could have provided a million extra hours of care.
It’s a bit of a mess, and it looks like the Scottish Government has a lot of work ahead to regain trust and improve social care for everyone.
