Politics: Proposals must improve outcomes for the people who access care and support
Regular readers of this column may know I am currently the Convener of the Health, Social Care, and Sport Committee in the Scottish Parliament.
I can firmly say that the Committee’s top priority is scrutinising the National Care Service Bill.
The creation of a National Care Service would represent a huge shift in how care is accessed and delivered in Scotland.
It is a major piece of legislation and our Committee is determined to carry out extensive discussions with the people our decisions will effect.
In our lifetime most of us will likely both give and receive care, so it’s crucial to listen to those who will be impacted by these proposals, from staff who deliver care, to unpaid carers, and to those in receipt of care.
To this end, the Committee held a public consultation earlier this year.
We heard from a wide range of voices including staff who deliver care and those in receipt of care, all of which will help shape the bill as we heard of their hopes but also of their concerns for the bill.
It’s important that everyone who may be affected by these changes has an opportunity to comment on them, which is why the committee has been travelling all over Scotland to meet and discuss with people who access or deliver care.
As well as gathering detailed oral evidence in our weekly meetings at Holyrood, we have also travelled to Dumfries and Aberdeen to hear from those who would be impacted by the development of a National Care Service.
This week the Committee will visit Glasgow to hear from social care providers and service users, including those from the voluntary sector and representing individual carers, as part of our scrutiny on the National Care Service Bill. First we will meet with the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland before holding a committee meeting where two panels will provide evidence; the first panel focused on the voluntary sector and individual carers, the
second focused on disability and independent advocacy.
The Glasgow visit gives us an opportunity to hear first-hand from those at the frontline of delivering services and from key stakeholders on the challenges they face, their hopes, and their concerns with the proposals.
The priority in considering these proposals must be improving outcomes for the people who access care and support. The information we gather on these visits will prove invaluable as we develop recommendations for inclusion in our Stage 1 report into the National Care Service Bill.
Building a National Care Service will be a massive undertaking and the government’s ambition is to create a comprehensive community health and social care service that supports people of all ages, delivering care that takes account of individual circumstances, the communities they live in, and their wishes.
The number one priority we have as a Committee is that the interests of those who use and provide social care are firmly at the heart of decision making in building a stronger system.
