The Scottish Government is making significant strides in transforming the delivery of social care, social work, and community health services.
This initiative is part of a broader commitment to enhance the experience of everyone who accesses these vital services.
Ahead of the Stage 2 proceedings of the National Care Service Bill later this month, several amendments have been lodged, all subject to Parliament's agreement. The proposed changes aim to establish the National Care Service through both legislative and non-legislative means, with a strong focus on social care reform. Consequently, the Bill is set to be renamed the "Care Reform (Scotland) Bill".
If the amendments are agreed upon by Parliament, the Bill will introduce several significant reforms to social care, including:
- Anne’s Law: This legislation will uphold the rights of individuals living in adult care homes to see their loved ones and identify an essential care supporter.
- Information Standards: Ensuring that all individuals working in or supplying services to the health and social care sector adhere to the same information standards, facilitating easier communication.
- National Chief Social Work Advisor: The creation of a statutory post to provide strategic leadership at a national level.
The Bill will also retain measures to establish a legal right to breaks for unpaid carers. In anticipation of the legislation, the Scottish Government has allocated an additional £5 million in the draft 2025-26 Budget to support 15,000 carers in taking short breaks from their caregiving responsibilities.
In January, Ministers announced that the legislation to set up a new public body to oversee national improvements would no longer proceed. However, efforts to establish a National Care Service Advisory Board are well underway, with the first meeting scheduled for March.
Social Care Minister Maree Todd said:
”Social care has the power to transform people lives, that is why it is so important that those accessing services receive the highest quality care, delivered consistently across Scotland.
“The amendments lodged in Parliament offer us the best opportunity to urgently get to work to reform the system and have a transformative impact on people’s lives.
“Positive progress is being made on establishing an advisory board that puts people with experience of the social care system at the heart of it, helping deliver the changes we all want to see.”
The amendments lodged in Parliament offer a unique opportunity to urgently reform the system, ensuring a transformative impact on people's lives. The advisory board will include individuals with lived experience of the social care system, ensuring that the voices of those who access services are at the heart of the reform process.
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