REVEALED New vision for care is branded a ‘betrayal’ of Scotland
EXCLUSIVE
A NEW vision for a national social care service featuring new surgeries and an emergency response facility has been revealed – as ministers push a project that one respected think-tank says lacks ambition, is underfunded, and is a “betrayal” to Scotland.
The respected Common Weal think-tank has raised its concerns about the proposed National Care Service (NCS) after 18 months’ work devising its own “revolutionary” service delivered through the formation of local authority-controlled local social care hubs which would provide services in the same way a GP surgery does in healthcare.
It comes as data shows that Scotland is faced with a growing population of older people, with the numbers of those aged 75 or more expected to rise by 85 per cent to over 800,000 by 2039.
The Common Weal blueprint would involve not-for-profit care provision, a 24-hour national phone line like NHS 24 for emergency care issues, and an urgent response service with “care ambulances”.
It says the service should not be centrally controlled as envisaged and delivery must remain at local level. In addition, it has warned action is required in the short term as the service is currently in a “critical state, not fit for purpose – underfunded, rationed, fragmented, centralised and risk averse”.
Common Weal says staff are currently undertrained and underpaid, with morale low and employee turnover high.
‘Not enough’
COMMON Weal, which has had an interest in supporting the care service design, says financing of the Scottish Government blueprint for a service operational by 2026 with a 25% increase in spending and “more than £800m in increased support” is nowhere near enough.
It says that for proposals to work it has to have the same level of ambition as the report by Sir William Beveridge 80 years ago that led for the formation of the National Health Service with free medical treatment for all as part of a new system of “cradle-to-grave” social security.
Common Weal says the NHS did not “short change” people in 1945 and as long as the new care service appears to be a “rebranding exercise” it will be a “betrayal of people and the sacrifices they have made”.
Any new system for social care will have to deliver the complex system of services and support for society’s most vulnerable, either at home or in separate accommodation such as nursing and residential homes.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in September the plans for a National Care Service will be “one of the biggest-ever achievements of this Parliament — and, just like the National Health Service in the wake of the Second World War, it will be a fitting legacy of the trauma of Covid”.
While a Scottish Government survey showed there was positivity about the concept, there are concerns about how it works in detail.
Council representative body Cosla and other local government representatives have said there is a need for more engagement with their sector and have expressed disappointment they were not involved in the development of the proposals.
It is estimated the true cost of a national care service would exceed £1.5 billion.
As of March last year, there were 1,069 care homes for adults – 20% fewer than 10 years ago.
And the study estimates that while about one in five people in Scotland need some kind of care support at any given time, 85% of them receive no formal care services at all.
Now the Common Weal’s Caring For All analysis produced by a group of care experts has come up with a blueprint for a service that would see the formation of local care hubs, which would support people from conception to end-of-life care.
Lead author Nick Kempe said what is currently on offer is a “betrayal”, adding: “The funding alone is nowhere near enough and there needs to be a fundamental rethink.
“What we have is not ambitious enough. They had the opportunity with Covid for an ambitious vision. What they have done is tinkered with a few things.”
Co-ordinated nationally but delivered locally through the hubs, the new Common Weal blueprint would be overseen by local authorities and would be the first port of call for an appointment to discuss care needs, like the role of the GP’s surgery in the National Health Service.
There they could access a full range of services from parenting training, psychological services and personal elderly care through to addiction services, home adaptation, and financial problems.
A team of professionals led by social workers would assess people’s needs and negotiate a package of care with them which balanced the availability of resources with the effective support they require.
If services or support cannot be delivered by the local care hub, people would be referred on to specialist services, just like the NHS.
And like the NHS there would be a 24-hour phone number which could arrange for emergency support so people can remain at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The National Care Service is the most ambitious reform of public services since the creation of the NHS.
“It will be designed round the needs of those who use and deliver social care services, creating a comprehensive community health and social care service that promotes quality and consistency of care, and provides support for all.
“Local accountability and participation from people accessing care and support are key to our proposals. Services will continue to be designed at a local level, with an approach designed around delivering outcomes based on individual needs.”
The funding alone is nowhere near enough. There needs to be a fundamental rethink