Scottish Government scraps plan for National Care Service

The Scottish Government has dropped proposals for a National Care Service.

Social care minister Maree Todd told MSPs on Thursday the plan to create a central national care board in Scotland will no longer go ahead after the proposals haemorrhaged support last year.

Opposition politicians, local authorities and trade unions were among those to pull their support for the plans, leading to Todd pausing the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill ahead of stage two of its journey through Holyrood.

The Bill will continue through Holyrood, with the overhaul of social care removed, and will include Anne’s Law – a change that will allow care home residents to be visited by a named person even when visiting restrictions are in place, following concerns raised during the pandemic.

Todd said: “We remain committed to creating a National Care Service as recommended in the Feeley review, and ultimately improving the individual experience of everyone in Scotland who relies on social care.

“Part one of the Bill, and the June draft amendments, proposed reform of integrated social care and community health.

“We made considerable effort to find compromise and a way forward.

“But it is clear those proposals are not supported by this chamber.

“I have concluded that we must deliver our Scottish National Care Service without legislating for structural reform, securing a different means to deliver our goals.

“It is therefore my intention to remove part one from the Bill at stage two and proceed with parts two and three only.

“I realise this will be a source of disappointment to many, particularly those with lived experience who have been clear that greater transparency and scrutiny is necessary to drive the improvement we all agree is needed.”

She said the service will be replaced with an advisory board which will assess adult social care and is expected to meet for the first time in March.

It will feature “people with lived experience of accessing care services, unpaid carers, those who work in the sector, care providers, trade unions, the NHS and local government”, Todd said.

“I want the chair of that board to be someone independent, ideally with lived experience of accessing care or caring themselves, or who represents those with lived experience, who can hold the Scottish Government and all other partners to account for the improvement that is needed.

“Where it is indicated that agreed standards are not being met, progressive and targeted support will be offered to those areas to help them improve. I will ask the Board for advice on the best way to do this.

“We know that the current system for integrated health and social care is not delivering for people.

“There is no shared understanding of what good looks like, and no systematic approach to tackling problems in local areas quickly, when they first emerge.

“This results in performance issues in some local areas reaching crisis point.

“We will review our health and social care standards, agreeing local monitoring and reporting frameworks and improving access to information.

“This will enable a systematic approach to providing progressive and targeted support for local areas, and where necessary, using our powers of direction and guidance, when standards are not being met.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane branded Ms Todd’s statement “hapless and tone deaf”, prompting angry shouts from MSPs as he called ministers a “shower of charlatans”.

He said the SNP had failed to listen to warnings from experts that the plan was flawed.

Dr Gulhane said: “The SNP stubbornly ploughed on, throwing good money after bad. Following today’s hapless and tone deaf statement from Maree Todd which has seen the NCS collapsing after a humiliating display of arrogance, failure and sheer waste.

“The SNP Government could not run a bath, let alone be trusted with our health and social care service. We have a shower of charlatans before us who have failed social care, failed workers and failed Scotland.”

He asked if Todd or health secretary Neil Gray will resign for the “monumental failure”.

Todd said she had listened “extremely carefully” and accused the Tories of failing to come forward with any alternative ideas.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie highlighted then health secretary Humza Yousaf’s previous statement that the NCS would be “the most significant public sector reform since the creation of the NHS in 1948″.

She said this centrepiece of the SNP’s legislative programme had been sidelined, “a bit like the Health Secretary”, and was “a waste of time and money”.

Dame Jackie said: “Whilst I welcome the remaining provisions, the National Care Service is no more. Not a single penny of the £30 million has been spent on care packages. That money would have delivered a million extra hours of care.”

She called for the health secretary to “follow Humza Yousaf’s lead and resign”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson 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.”