Audit Scotland briefing spotlights need for change in social care
- Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
- Type: News Item
- Published: 27th January 2022
The briefing identifies issues including lack of choice, focus on costs over outcomes, poor working conditions, and gaps in data.
Audit Scotland have published a briefing on the current state of social care in Scotland (this link will take you away from our website), calling for urgent action and change. According to Audit Scotland, there are particular challenges with the sustainability of social care, and with the wider health and social care integration agenda. Although they found positive examples of improvements to services, they argue that the pace of change has been too slow.
Amongst the issues identified in the briefing are:
- Limited progress on preventative approaches, leading to tighter eligibility criteria and higher levels of unmet need.
- Lack of choice and voice for people receiving care and unpaid carers.
- Undervaluing of the social care workforce who are mostly women and face poor working conditions, including low pay.
- Commissioning focused overly on cost rather than outcomes, with negative impacts on quality and collaboration.
- Data gaps caused by inability or unwillingness to share data, or lack of collection in the first place.
The briefing acknowledges the proposed National Care Service, but notes that there is substantial work left to do before that becomes a reality, including identifying how such reform will be funded. It also emphasises that there is clear need for action right now on some of these challenges, and calls on the Scottish Government to act quickly to deliver what it can without legislation.
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