THE Scottish Government has been urged to learn from its failures over the National Care Service and has been called to prioritise the existing problems within Scotland’s care sector.
On Thursday, the Scottish Government announced it was dropping its plans for a National Care Service as Social Care Minister, Maree Todd, said in a statement at Holyrood the proposal did not have enough support to get through Parliament.
She added that the Government remained committed to a National Care Service but said it would not legislate for any “structural reform”.
Trade union groups have criticised the Government’s announcement with STUC general secretary Roz Foyer saying it “failed to get to grips” with the key issues in social care which resulted in the plans becoming a “mess”.
Simon Barrow, national secretary of the SNP Trade Union Group, has called on the Government to learn from its mistakes with the failed proposal.
He explained that the plans proposed by the Government looked “costly and cumbersome” and that's why trade unions, charities and experts joined forces to collectively urge ministers to have a “serious rethink” about them.
Barrow said: “We strongly support the principle of a National Care Service run for and by the people of Scotland. But sadly, it was clear from the early days of this now-shelved bill that what was being proposed was not the groundwork for a proper public service integrated with the NHS, which was what the SNP and we as trade unionists within the party had asked for.
“Instead, it looked more like a costly and cumbersome procurement framework for private contractors, with too many practical questions unanswered even at the threshold of the second parliamentary stage.
“That is why we as SNP trade unionists joined the STUC, Common Weal, other union colleagues, charities and experts across the nation in calling for a pause and serious rethink.
“The Scottish Government now needs to learn from the problems with this bill, which failed to create the consensus it needed.”
Former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, described the National Care Service as the most ambitious reform since devolution when it was announced in 2021.
The original plan was inspired by the NHS and aimed to take social care provision and staff away from local authorities into a new national agency.
Barrow added that if the Government is to go back to the drawing board to draw up new plans for a National Care Service it would need to “truly meet the needs of the Scottish people” and “squeeze out private profiteers”.
He said: “The immediate priority should be to address existing pay, conditions and recruitment problems within the care sector.
“If we are going back to the drawing board to co-design a publicly-controlled National Care Service that truly meets the needs of the Scottish people, it is imperative to draw upon the expertise of care workers themselves, taking local provision seriously and looking to squeeze out private profiteers.
“Moving forward, we need to concentrate public resources where they are most needed and ensure an even network of provision across the country.”
Foyer (below) was also critical of the Government plans as she said they “lacked vision”.
She added that if the Scottish Government is to rethink its plans it should start with improving care workers's pay and conditions along with ensuring those in need of support receive the “quality and consistency of care they deserve”.
Foyer said: “The failure of the Scottish Government to get to grips with the key issues in social care has resulted in this mess. With over £30 million spent on developing a National Care Service that lacked vision, left service provision at the mercy of profiteers and not addressing low pay and poor conditions in the sector, it’s little wonder that workers lost faith in the government’s plans. Care sector workers won’t be celebrating this announcement and it’s yet another blow to their trust in Scottish Government.
“Carer’s rights and Anne’s law are important parts of the package and it is right they remain. If Scottish Government are heading back to the drawing board, we would suggest they start with improving care workers pay and conditions, which will help alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis and in turn, ensure those in need of support receive the quality and consistency of care they deserve.”
The spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “The National Care Service has not been scrapped.
“A revised approach to the National Care Service, including amended proposals for the Bill, has been put forward to parliament.
“As the Minister for Social Care made clear, these proposals will deliver a National Care Service that improves the experience of everyone who relies on social care, social work and community health in Scotland.
“Social care reform is needed urgently, the thousands of people we have spoken to have told us that, and there will be costs associated with delivering that change. Collectively, £5 billion a year is spent on social care, so the money invested in vital reform, over a period of three years, is less than 0.2% of the annual spend on social care.”
