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Future of National Care Service announced

  • Area of Work: Policy and Research, Social Care
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 23rd January 2025

Minister announces parts of the National Care Service Bill will be dropped due to a lack of compromise and support.

Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, announced in a statement in front of Parliament today that parts of the National Care Service (NCS) Bill proposals will be dropped. This follows the decision in November 2024 to delay the Bill.

The Minister recognised that people with lived experience invested huge amounts of time and emotion into the development of the NCS. However, she said that this will not be wasted as the Scottish Government is “committed to reform social care” as change is overwhelmingly needed in line with the Feeley Review.

Due to a lack of support and compromise on the Bill, Part 1 of the Bill including Scottish Government amendments will be removed. Important proposals contained in Parts 2 and 3 of the Bill will continue to be developed without legislation needing to be put in place. For example, commitments to implement Anne’s Law into legislation, additional support for unpaid carers and reform for the social work sector remain.

The Scottish Government will also form a non-statutory advisory board made up of people with lived experience of social care, social care workers, care providers, trade unions, the NHS and local government to provide guidance and drive forward improvement within the sector.

Speaking following the Ministerial Statement on the future of the National Care Service, Sara Redmond, Chief Officer of Development, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) said:

“The ALLIANCE is disappointed parts of the National Care Service Bill have been dropped. While we have been clear the Bill didn’t meet the need for the transformational change people needing social care support have called for, it leaves an uncertain future and it remains unclear what social care reforms will be delivered. While it’s welcome that important parts of the Bill, such as on information sharing, and a right to breaks for carers, will be taken forward, there are major areas that have now been removed, with no certainty on what will be delivered.

“As we have previously said, people with lived experience have invested huge amounts of time, energy and emotion in trying to make the National Care Service work. We cannot afford to let that effort go to waste by leaving social care in its current state. It is vital the development of plans ensure much needed reform to social care is delivered without further delay to meet what people deserve, and stop treating social care like a political football.”

For media enquiries, please contact Christina Cran, Media and Digital Communications Manager, on christina.cran@alliance-scotland.org.uk

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