NEWS: National Care Service (Scotland) Bill Published

The Scottish Government have introduced the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament.

The National Care Service Bill will make Scottish Ministers accountable for adult social care in Scotland

The Bill provides the foundation for the NCS, and enables the fine detail of the new service to be co-designed with people who have direct experience of social care services. Plans have also been published to explain how that collaboration will work. The aims are to:

• support people in their own homes or among family, friends and community wherever possible, with seamless transitions between services;
• create a charter of rights and responsibilities for social care, with a robust complaints and redress process;
• introduce rights to breaks for unpaid carers
• introduce visiting rights for residents living in adult care homes, giving legal force to Anne’s Law
• ensure fair employment practices and national pay bargaining for the social care workforce;
• focus on prevention and early intervention before people’s needs escalate;
• create a new National Social Work Agency to promote training and development, provide national leadership and set and monitor standards in social work.

At present, children and young people’s services are not included within the NCS Bill – but Ministers note that children’s social work and care services and justice social work services could be included at a later date.