The Council has responded to Scottish Government’s consultation on proposals to improve the delivery of social care in Scotland, following the recommendations of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care. This includes a proposal to establish a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland.
The Council highlighted views on the scope of the NCS, the creation of Community Health and Social Care Boards (CHSCBs) and efforts to value people who work in Social Care. The response provides several recommendations:
- Education needs to be considered within National Care Service plans and HEIs need to be consistently engaged with, for example through representation on the Community Health and Social Care Boards.
- An understanding of the current social care workforce and an evidence based workforce plan is needed for the National Care Service to be successful.
- Government should create plans to change culture surrounding social care with explicit goals including broader recognition of the importance of social care and increasing desirability of working in social care.