Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland
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Quarterly members policy round up

Area: Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland

Read our quarterly members policy update from Senior Policy Officer Allan Faulds

Dear members,

Welcome to our quarterly update from the ALLIANCE policy team, this quarter brought to you by Allan Faulds, Senior Policy officer at the ALLIANCE.

Fair Finance

The deepening crisis in third sector funding is a key priority for the ALLIANCE, and last year we ran a short survey investigating the impacts. Our resulting report, “Stretched Beyond Limit”, paints a stark picture, with 64% of respondents reporting financial insecurity, up from 49% in March 2024, and only 3% reporting no pressure on their finances at all. 60% of respondents said they were experiencing cuts to grants, and 25% had seen cuts to their contracts.

We also investigated this topic through an event through an event at the SNP’s Autumn Conference, looking at the third sector’s role in delivering human rights. In addition to the ALLIANCE, the panel included our members Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Grampian Opportunities, as well as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville.

Scottish Parliament Election

Work ahead of the election continues, and we have met several parties to discuss our manifesto. Members can look forward to the formal publication of our manifesto, including in Easy Read and British Sign Language (BSL) formats, on the 18th of February. We are also arranging hustings events where you can hear from candidates directly.

You can also read the joint calls we contributed to as part of the Civil Society Working Group on Incorporation’s short human rights focused manifesto. My colleague Lucy Mulvagh spoke at the launch of this manifesto, focusing on the importance of the Human Rights Bill for strengthening Scotland’s health and social care system.

Health and Healthcare

We provided further input into the Scottish Government’s plans for a Long Term Conditions Framework, urging them to take more time to consider the framework, how best to deliver on its priorities, and how it would be overseen. The Scottish Government have since stated that they will postpone the planned introduction of the framework until after the election, giving more opportunity for engagement and development.

We also submitted responses to several consultations and calls for views:

Social Care

Whilst longer term reform remains a key priority for the ALLIANCE, we have been engaging with the Scottish Government on improvements to the current system. This included through a response to a short consultation on extending Integration Joint Boards (IJB) voting rights to lived experience, unpaid carer and third sector representatives. We are pleased that the Scottish Government have formally introduced regulations to put this into effect.

We met with Inclusion Scotland, Social Work Scotland and others to discuss our Access to Self-directed Support briefing. We also spoke on a panel at the Third Sector Interface (TSI) Network National Conference, covering lessons learned from the National Care Service (NCS), Care Reform Bill, and the third sector’s role in prevention and early intervention.

Human Rights

We welcomed the publication of a high-level action plan by the Scottish Government on the concluding observations from the recent review by the United Nations’ Committee on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). As noted in previous quarterly reports, we had submitted a shadow report to the Committee’s review, and alongside members and partners had been pushing the Scottish Government to formally respond to the recommendations.

We’re always keen to hear from our members about the policy issues you’re facing and working on. If you want to find out more from us, or have something to share, please get in touch with us at policy@alliance-scotland.org.uk. 

Best wishes,

Allan