Councils poised to withdraw cooperation with SNP Government over national care service bill

A new National Care Service has been delayed
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Council chiefs are poised to withdraw support for the SNP Government's national care service, leaving the troubled bill in crisis. Local authority leaders are likely to end a “shared accountability” deal on Friday amid deep concerns about the legislation.

The Government’s national care service plan involves a massive shake up of the sector in order to harmonise standards and wages. But the proposals have been seen as a power grab from councils and trade unions are also concerned.

Ministers have tried to rewrite the bill and they reached a consensus with council umbrella group COSLA in 2023 around ‘shared accountability’ for NCS reform.

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However, a COSLA paper suggests council leaders have reached the end of the road. It says the Government published a draft bill in June, but they complain local government did “not have an opportunity” to help draft revised amendments.

The paper continues: “Given the wide ranging and significant concerns with the Bill, COSLA officers have sought dedicated discussions with Scottish Government officials, placing standard tripartite discussions on hold.

“In these discussions it is apparent that there is no clear appetite to make changes to draft amendments to address the concerns of Local Government and that Ministers intentions in relation to the mandating of children and justice services remain.”

Recommendations will be put in front of council leaders which effectively call for the bill to be withdrawn. COSLA chiefs have called for the senior council figures to agree that the Bill does not address the “significant pressures faced by the health and social care system”.

It adds: “Agree that insufficient progress has been made to address the concerns, risks and complexities identified by Local Government regarding the NCS. As such, Local Government should withdraw support for NCS shared accountability.”

The GMB and Unison trade unions have also called for the bill to be withdrawn. Unison Scotland regional manager Simon Macfarlane said recently: “As it stands, those in need of care, their families and the workers in the sector are all set to be failed by this Bill.

“Even at this advanced stage, the Government is unable to explain what it will do or how, and what improvements will be made. The Bill should be scrapped and the focus moved to delivering commitments such as funding fair work and sectoral bargaining.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Creating the National Care Service is about improving people’s lives and ensuring consistency of care across Scotland. We need to address the concerns of people who use community health and social care and the staff who provide it. They have told us time and again that the social care sector needs to change and that is what we should all want to achieve.”

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