MSPS demand to know full cost of care service plans

● Finance committee cites ‘significant concerns’ about SNP’S flagship policy

Holyrood finance watchdogs, including SNP MSPS, have expressed “significant concerns” over the lack of detailed costs for the National Care Service in a blow to the Scottish Government’s flagship plans.

In a report published today, the Scottish Parliament’s finance committee says without an indication of the potential scale of all costs associated with the National Care Service Bill, which is making its way through Holyrood, it is “difficult to assess whether the proposed National Care Service is either affordable or sustainable”.

The plan to merge social care into a single national service is facing criticism due to a lack of clarity about the price tag. However, the Scottish Government is determined to press ahead with the plans , described by the First Minister as the “most significant public service reform” since the creation of the NHS.

Groups in the care sector, including trade unions, have called for the plans to be paused.

The cross-party committee wants the Scottish Government to provide “much needed clarity” and to bring forward fully costed plans at least two weeks before the stage one vote on the Bill, scheduled for March next year.

In October, Scottish Parliament researchers estimated the cost of the National Care Service to be between £664 million and £1.261 billion over the five years from 2022/23 to 2026/27.

The convener of the finance committee, the SNP’S Kenneth Gibson, said: “The finance committee has significant concerns over the costings in the financial memorandum (FM) to this Bill. The FM in its present form does not provide an overall estimate of the

of creating a National Care Service.

A large number of decisions are yet to be made, and no estimate of costings has been provided for VAT liability, transfer of assets and staff, and the creation of a nation-wide digital health and social care record – all of which has the potential to result in significant costs.

"The committee appreciates the Scottish Government’s intention to co-design the service with those most closely affected. that work could, however,have been undertaken prior to the introduction of primary legislation.

"Major Bills should not be implemented via secondary legislation, or through business cases, which cannot be subject to the same in-depth, formal scrutiny as financial memorandums to Bills.

“The significant gaps highlighted throughout our report have frustrated the parliamentary scrutiny process. We are therefore calling for a revised financial memorandum, with detailed costings, at least two weeks before Parliament considers the Bill at stage one.”

Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said :“this scathing report adds to the chorus of voices slating the SNP’S botched plans. Even the SNP’S own MSPS are losing faith in these unworkable, unpopular and un-costed plans. Scottish Labour have long led the campaign for a National Care Service, but this shambles makes a mockery of this important principle. The SNP have had warning after warning – they must start liscost tening and pause this bill, so we can take the time to get it right.”

The Bill proposes setting up a series of care boards that operate in the same way as health boards, with Scottish ministers directly responsible, meaning local authorities would no longer run social care services.

When the legislation was first announced, health secretary Humza Yousaf said it would end the “postcode lottery” in the care sector.

Mental wellbeing and social care minister Kevin Stewart said: “The National Care Service is the biggest public sector reform in Scotland since the NHS was created after the Second World War. Our aim in delivering a National Care Service is to end the postcode lottery in care provision, and we look forward to continuing to working with service users to help co-design the new service ."