STUC withdraws support for National Care Service

Plans for the National Care Service were first announced in 2021

Scotland's largest trade union body has withdrawn its support for the proposed National Care Service.

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has written to Health Secretary Neil Gray to raise concerns at the lack of funding for social care workers.

It says plans for a National Care Service had lost support from stakeholders across Scotland and urged the government to focus its attention on addressing the "immediate issues" in social care.

But First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government was "going to take forward the discussion on the National Care Service".

He said the service was the "most effective way" to achieve the goal of improving care for those who need it.

Council body Cosla withdrew its support for the proposals last month.

It said council leaders had concerns about the proposed legislation and that several organisations - including those in the care sector - had expressed doubt over the government's approach.

The Scottish government previously described the National Care Service Bill, which is currently passing through parliament, as the "biggest public service reform in Scotland since devolution".

But in their letter to the health secretary, the STUC said the bill was not fit for purpose in its current form and support should be focused on improving pay and conditions for care workers.

General Secretary Roz Foyer said workers were struggling to deliver vital social care to those in need and there was a shortage of staff across the country.

She added: "Yet the government is ploughing on with the National Care Service Bill which fails to address fundamental issues about how social care is delivered and has lost the confidence of workers in the sector.

“The Scottish government seems hellbent on repeating the mistakes of the past. That is something that the STUC and our affiliated unions cannot uphold."

Ms Foyer said the sector needed "urgent investment in social care and improved wages to attract and retain skilled staff" which she claims could be done without the National Care Service.

"Profiteering, low pay and insecure conditions within social care are rampant throughout the sector," she said.

"It would appear the Scottish government, through the proposed NCS Bill, seems content for that to continue, something which we cannot allow in our name."

'Focus on the outcome'

The first minister said the Scottish government would continue to engage with all relevant parties to make headway on the proposals.

Speaking on a visit to Kilmarnock, Mr Swinney told journalists: "What we've got to do here is to focus on the outcome and what matters.

"What matters is that we all want to see an improvement in the care that is available to individuals in Scotland and we can achieve that through the National Care Service Bill mechanism.

"The government has at no stage been unwilling to develop our proposals, to listen to others, and we are trying to do that as we take forward the proposals."

The plan was first introduced by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2021. Inspired by the NHS, the service was to be made up of a network of care boards across Scotland, intended to ensure high standards.

It was designed to help elderly, disabled or homeless people, as well as those with addictions, families and unpaid carers, under one banner.

It promised to establish a system where people could move between different types of care as their needs changed.

But concerns over cost and governance saw ministers axe the original plans last year.

Under the latest plans, councils and NHS boards would instead retain responsibility for staff and services in a “shared accountability” model with a central board to manage it.

The introduction of the service was also delayed until 2028-29.

Last week it was revealed that almost £30m had already been spent on the plans.

Responding to the STUC's decision, Social Care Minister Maree Todd said: “It is essential we establish a National Care Service that will improve people’s lives and quality of care, while ensuring those who deliver vital services feel supported.

“We're not waiting for legislation to act and are implementing Fair Work measures, including paying our commissioned social care workforce at least the real living wage of £12 an hour since April 2024.”

The Scottish Conservatives repeated their call for the scheme to be scrapped, with the party's health spokesman Sandesh Gulhane saying: “Neil Gray has succeeded in uniting the whole of civic Scotland in opposition to the SNP’s botched National Care Service plan.

“Common sense tells you that local social care providers are far better placed to determine the care needs in their area than disconnected SNP ministers in Edinburgh."