Scottish Government scraps National Care Service plan

Key Points

The Scottish Government is ditching its plans to form a National Care Service
The Government said it remains ‘committed’ to creating a new service as it suspended progress on the flagship Bill
The service would have taken social care responsibility away from councils
The plans were a flagship SNP policy announced under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership in 2021
The SNP has been accused of spending £28m on the proposals
Local councils, trade unions and the Scottish Greens had withdrawn support for the plans
Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have also said they would not back the Bill

The Scottish Government has abandoned its National Care Service plan.

The proposals were to centralise adult social care and social work in Scotland, making ministers ultimately accountable for their delivery.

However, the plans drew criticism after it emerged that more than £28m had been spent on devising the service since 2021.

Councils and trade unions across Scotland withdrew their support for the plan, and in October, the Scottish Greens announced that they would not support the Bill.

Since kicking the Greens out of government, the SNP are running a minority administration and without cross-party support, the National Care Service Bill was doomed.

Social care minister Maree Todd. STV News

Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats had also said they would not back the Bill.

The Scottish Government has ditched the first part of the Bill, which would form the new centralised service but will press ahead with reforms to care home visits and inspections.

Social care minister Maree Todd wrote to the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on Wednesday to confirm that the Bill would not progress to the next stage this year.

The next step had been due to be considered on November 26.

She said the Scottish Government remained “committed” to plans for a National Care Service and that work on it continues.

She added: “That work involves careful consideration of the views of this committee, stakeholders,
members of the public and political parties.

“The Scottish Government wishes to take the time that is needed to fully reflect those views in our approach to Stage 2 of the Bill.

“For those reasons the Scottish Government is not seeking to start Stage 2 consideration of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill on 26 November, and will work with the committee and Parliamentary Bureau to agree a revised timetable, for the New Year.”

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay pressured John Swinney to abandon plans during his debut as party leader at First Minister’s Questions last month.

He accused the Scottish Government of having “wasted” £28m on the plans.

“The SNP’s plans for a National Care Service have already wasted £28m of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“Four parliamentary committees have warned about its flaws, NHS bosses have serious concerns, Scotland’s council leaders have pulled their support.”

The UK Government has its own plans to create a National Care Service as part of long-term reform of the social care system in England.

History of the National Care Service – delays, rows, and rising costs

The National Care Service was first announced by then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2021 – as the “most ambitious reform since devolution”.

The original proposal was inspired by the NHS, a network of care boards across Scotland, all part of a new agency that could ensure high standards in care provision. The aim was to introduce the National Care Service by the end of the 2026 parliamentary term.

However, the plans had been repeatedly delayed and scaled back amid continued rows over how it would work and how much it could cost.

The original proposal, initially estimated to cost between £644m and £1.26bn over five years, was rumoured to have spiralled to £2bn.

In 2023, it was announced that the care board proposal had been scrapped, and councils and NHS boards would instead retain responsibility for staff and services in a “shared accountability” model.

The delivery date was also changed by three years, with a roll-out set for 2028-29.

Councils, Unison, and GMB Scotland withdrew support amid concerns that the scheme did not address pay and poor working conditions in the social care sector.

Following the news that the National Care Service Bill will not progress to Stage 2, STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “This is a deeply welcome move from the Scottish Government and one that the STUC and our social care sector have long demanded. It is correct that they have, albeit belatedly, listened to the voices around the table who urged them to see sense.

“The Bill, as it stands, was deeply flawed and had lost the confidence of workers and other sector partners. It does nothing to address the key weaknesses within the current system – low pay, insecure conditions, chronic staff retention and a complete overdependence on highly financialised, profit-driven providers.

“We can wipe the slate clean. Whilst we await full confirmation the Bill is dead for the foreseeable, that doesn’t mean we can’t implement the reforms our social care needs for the here and now.

“The vision for a national system of care can be realised. We aspire to it. To do so, the Scottish Government must meet us on that pathway, which includes paying our social care workers fairly and delivering a national care service designed for people, not for profit.”