A Renfrewshire politician has dismissed the Scottish Government's plans for a new National Care Service as a "power grab".
MSP Paul O'Kane says the move will "strip away local decision making over care in our local communities".
The Scottish Government's Health supremo Humza Yousaf claims plans for the new service, unveiled on Monday, will end the "postcode lottery" over services.
But critics have expressed concerns over the plans in the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.
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The new legislation will make ministers accountable for adult social care in Scotland.
The Scottish Government's plans for a new national framework for care provision were sparked after an independent review into the future of care was triggered as services failed in the wake of the pandemic.
It is due to be delivered by the end of the parliamentary term in 2026.
New proposals will see a string of care boards set up to operate in the same way as health boards, reporting directly to Scottish Ministers.
The move means responsibility for local care provision will no longer be in the hands of councils.
Labour's Shadow Minister for Public Health and Social Care, O'Kane, blasted the plans, saying: "The SNP have unveiled this bill today in a celebratory tone, that it’s the answer to all of the problems facing social care in Scotland, but I fear it’s exactly the opposite”
"This would see more power centralised with the Scottish Government and strip away local decision making over care in our local communities.
"Can anyone honestly say that they don’t see chaos and uncertainty on the horizon with this Scottish Government taking over responsibility for care, a Scottish Government that seems to damage anything it touches from ferries, to our NHS and railways?"
The Barrhead-based MSP added: “What would actually benefit the people who live in residential care or depend on carers are practical policies such as a decent wage for care workers and more financial support for unpaid carers, but instead the SNP want to tinker with structures to give themselves power.
“The National Care Service has become the defensive buzz word used by Scottish Government anytime the reality of how bad the state of social care is at the moment in Scotland, they throw it out there to tell everyone that eventually things will get better when the service finally arrives.
“Promising future solutions to problems that should and could be dealt with right now is textbook SNP Governance, and I’m frustrated in this instance for the all the people who depend on care, for staff and unpaid carers.
“Scottish Labour wants to see control of the care system devolved to communities who know their own requirements and needs best.
“We have called and will continue to call for this as the Bill progresses and for fair pay for care workers."
The new service see people supported in their own homes or with family and friends if possible.
It will also see the creation of a charter of rights and responsibilities for social care and give those living in care homes the right to visitors backed by legal sanction , under the so-called Anne's Law.
Health Secretary Mr Yousaf said: "This is the most ambitious reform of public services since the creation of the NHS.
"The design of the NCS will have human rights embedded throughout, and the actual shape and detail of how the NCS works will be designed with those who have direct experience of accessing and providing social care.
"We are going to end the postcode lottery of care in Scotland."
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