Wheels coming off national care service proposals, says McArthur

Orkney's MSP, Liam McArthur, has called on the Scottish Government to rethink their proposals to centralise social care services following extensive criticism from legal experts, health board leaders, council officials and finance professionals.

At the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee yesterday, Ralph Roberts, Chairman of the NHS Board Chief Executives Group, said the money earmarked for the new care service would be better spent reinforcing the current system, adding "I don't personally fundamentally believe that significant organisational change is what will add the biggest value at the moment. I think there are other things that are higher priority."

These warnings were echoed by Audit Scotland’s Mark Taylor who also told MSPs yesterday that the costs set out by Scottish Ministers "significantly understate" the range of what could be needed. Meanwhile at Health Committee, Paul Kelly, health and social care spokesman for COSLA, said some of the issues about lack of detail in the plans were "very, very significant".

COSLA has repeatedly dubbed the proposed National Care Service as an "attack on localism" which Orkney Islands Council also warned last year "could diminish, rather than enhance, the community, fiscal and functional empowerment that the Council seeks."

Speaking ahead of a debate in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Mr McArthur said:

"Few dispute the need for reform of our social care sector to meet the needs of an ageing population. However, hollowing out even more powers and funding from local authorities only risks putting more strain on already stretched services.

"I have long had concerns about how the Scottish Government’s centralised model might work in an island setting like Orkney. However, as parliament’s finance and health committees heard this week, those concerns are now being expressed clearly and consistently across the board.

"As the price tag for this power grab soars so the fears deepen about what it could mean in practice for the delivery of care services. The continued lack of detail is adding to the uncertainty and it is clear that the wheels are coming off these reckless plans.

"Rather than set up a billion-pound bureaucracy, Scottish Ministers should abandon plans to centralise and instead invest that money in boosting pay and conditions and empowering local services to drive up the quality of care."