The social care minister has said there is “strong support” for government plans for a National Care Service, despite an independent analysis highlighting ‘substantial’ criticism of the consultation process.

An independent evaluation of 1,300 responses said concerns were raised about a ‘lack of detail’, the short consultation period and the speed with which the government was pushing through the changes. Some respondents described questions as “leading and/or unclear” and said the National Care Service (NCS) was presented as a "done deal".

The government says the consultation is the ‘first phase’ of engagement on the plans to reform health and care services. The Health & Care Secretary Humza Yousaf has previously said the scope of the NCS is not a “fait accompli”.

Speaking today, minister Kevin Stewart said: “The final scope of the National Care Service has not yet been concluded. Over the coming weeks, we will have the opportunity to reflect on these views of the public. We will then be in a position to bring forward the detailed plans for improvement to be undertaken over the course of this Parliament.”

There were 1,291 responses to the consultation, split between individuals (54%) and organisations (45%). The most common categories for individual respondents were friends or relatives of a social care user, unpaid carers and frontline care workers.

In what one source said was an unusual practice, the document states responses from individuals and organisations are treated with the same weight, even if an organisation had consulted with its members.

The collective group for senior NHS leaders issued a challenge to the plans, including the claim from CEOs and chairs of all regional and national health boards that the changes would amount to a ‘dismantling of the NHS as it currently exists’.

Analysis of the responses by PwC revealed high levels of support for key proposals, as 72% backed the idea that ministers should be accountable for a NCS, as put forward by Derek Feeley.

Other plans that have attracted criticism – such as the inclusion of children’s services and community health services, including GPs, in the new body – were backed by more than seven in ten responses.

However this masked reservations from what the analysis called ‘key stakeholders’.

Charity Children in Scotland said many of its members did not have time to engage with the consultation and the changes could cause ‘significant unintended consequences’. The Scottish Academy, which represents medical royal colleges, said it did ‘not believe it is the right time for these services to be subject to further disruption’.

The analysis highlights a ‘substantial proportion’ of comments voicing dissatisfaction with the consultation process itself. It states ‘many respondents commented on the difficulty of contributing meaningful comments on the proposals given the lack of detail’.

There were also complaints about the ‘lack of any detail around the costs’ of a NCS which made it difficult to assess the reforms.

Councillor Stuart Currie, health and social care lead for local authority body COSLA, echoed concerns about the consultation.

He said: “COSLA is a membership-based organisation, representing all 32 local authorities at a national political level. Our members are political leaders throughout diverse communities across Scotland with a distinct knowledge and understanding of their local areas. For this reason, we are disappointed that COSLA’s response - amongst many others – has been weighted as a single response.”

Cllr Currie said there was a “host of unanswered questions” on funding and what the plans would mean for workers and care users. He added: “We simply cannot wait the four or five years until a NCS is in place, when we can work together to bring about meaningful change now."

Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart said: “It is clear that there is a real appetite for change. We will continue to engage with people with lived experience of the service whether they are people accessing care and support, their families, care workers or providers.”

Mr Stewart said the Scottish government would publish a new carers’ strategy in the months ahead.

Read more: NHS leaders demand National Care Service rethink; Scotland must not rush into National Care Service; Yousaf: NCS blueprint not ‘fait accompli’; National Care Service budget ‘far too small’

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