Plans for a National Care Service have been dubbed “a blatant and unjustified power grab” by MSPs from across the opposition parties, as concerns over the reforms’ over-emphasis on structure rather than culture were raised in Holyrood.

Craig Hoy, the Conservative Party Spokesperson on Social Care, told parliament of his party’s concerns over the timing of the reforms.

“Rather than looking to fix the urgent failings in the system, ministers now propose to bite off far more than they can chew, with a widespread reform programme”, he said.

“Despite the current crisis in care, the Scottish Government proposes to consolidate adult social care, social work, children’s services, justice social work, alcohol and drug services and areas of mental healthcare in one service under direct ministerial control.

“Those reforms focus on structures for tomorrow and ignore the crisis in social care today."

The impact of the proposals on local-decision making power – which have been described by local government organisation COSLA as “cutting through the heart of governance in Scotland” - was also highlighted by Mr Hoy, as he drew parallels with the 2012 policing reforms:

“The lessons from Police Scotland tell us that centralisation undermines local delivery and leads to poor and, sometimes, tragic outcomes, as we saw, sadly, only last week. The plans amount to an attack on local authorities and local accountability.

“Centralisation ignores the clear need for services to be designed and delivered as close as possible to the people who use them.

“It is yet another blatant and unjustified power grab by the Scottish Government.”

Echoing these worries over the reform’s potential impact on local government, Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader and health and social care spokesperson of the Liberal Democrats. added that he is sceptical of the government’s intentions with the consultation.

He told parliament: “We do not reform social care by stripping decision-making power and money from the local care partnerships that currently deliver it.

“The last thing we need is a big, clunking, centralised bureaucracy that is ultimately run by the Scottish ministers—the same ministers who are, in part, responsible for the catastrophe in our care homes in the foothills of the pandemic.

“For all that the Government wants to be remembered with the reverence with which Nye Bevan, the father of the NHS, is remembered, its national care service is a cynical power grab and nothing more.”

Paul O’Kane MSP, Labour’s Spokesperson on Social Care, called for the inclusion of those with lived experience who, in his opinion, have been left out of the consultation so far:

“We have always been clear that any such service must be about culture and not solely focused on structure. A national care service must be about those who live in our communities and who need access to the right care in the right place at the right time.

“People want to have a seat at the table where decisions are made. Carers want to have a voice at the table and those who use social care want a meaningful say in the decisions that impact them.

“If the Government insists on driving an agenda that is about drawing power towards the centre and does not recognise the importance of local decision making, in which people who use services have a say, this will simply be upheaval and structural change with little real change on the ground.

“The people of Scotland cannot wait five years for the Scottish Government to work out its big vision for a national care service. Action can be taken now, and action is needed now.”

Kevin Stewart representing the government, asked MSPs to encourage more people to respond to the consultation and reaffirmed the government’s belief in the new service as the way to meet the needs of Scotland.

The Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care told parliament:

“With the consultation for a national care service being under way, we are having open and honest conversations about what people want the future of social care to look like.

“I encourage all members to get as many people as possible to respond to the consultation.

“From the rubble of World War Two, our respected NHS was born. As we emerge from the shadow of Covid, we can build a national care service of which we can be proud and which delivers for our people.”

 

Read more: FM signals national pay bargaining in NCS; Where is the social care recovery plan?; Council leaders launch attack on NCS plans

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