Serious concerns over Scottish Government plans to move social care under NHS control - councils

Councils in Scotland have raised “serious concerns” over the Scottish Government’s plans to move social care under NHS control.

It comes after First Minister John Swinney announced changes to health care in his Programme for Government on September 1.

Swinney told MSPs that Scotland’s NHS would undergo the “most significant structural reform” since Holyrood was established in 1999.

He also announced plans to reduce the number of territorial health boards in Scotland, replacing the existing 14 with two strategic health boards.

Health boards could be merged, creating one for the west of Scotland and another for the east.

Swinney stated that the NHS should be given greater control over social care, which is currently the responsibility of Scotland’s councils and that giving the health service “the levers of control” will help reduce the number of Scots kept in hospital waiting for care packages to be put in place.

He added: “That is what is blocking up all our hospitals.”

However, in a statement on Thursday, COSLA said councillors have expressed serious concerns regarding the impact of the social care plans.

COSLA’s health & social care spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, said: “Individuals are shaped by the people, the buildings, the services and society around them.

“At its heart, social work and social care support are about seeing a whole person and supporting them to live a full life in the community. Social care and social work play an essential role in supporting people to retain their independence, often in their own home, and to help people live well.

“A proposal to incorporate social care into a large health infrastructure could risk medicalising disability, care and support, instead of building on progress towards independent living.

“Social care and social work must be seen as an equal partner to the NHS, not subsumed within it.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.