National Care Service Forum to be held for the first time in Scotland

Scottish Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart has announced the first ever national care service forum will be held in Perth on Monday.

The first annual National Care Service Forum, with an estimated 500 people to attend, will allow for social care users, families, carers, and staff to share their views on the proposed National Care Service (NSC).

NCS, recommended by the Independent Review into Adult Social Care (IRASC) in June 2022, aims to work with people who have experienced social care in hopes to create an organisation that prioritises peoples needs.

Following recommendations from IRASC, the NSC Service Bill was proposed to the Scottish government and is now being considered at Holyrood.

The bill states Scottish Ministers can transfer social care responsibility from local authorities to national services.

Kevin Stewart said: ‘Today’s event marks a monumental step towards a National Care Service, bringing together hundreds of people who are passionate about community health and social care, about continuing to make things better, and about developing a National Care Service that will best serve the people of Scotland for generations to come.

‘This is the biggest reform of public services since the formation of the National Health Service.’  

As well as hosting the first ever National Care Services Forum, the Scottish government have also agreed to pay social workers’ registration fees and staff have experienced a 5% pay rise.

Unions including UNISON, Unite and GMB have agreed to a pay deal with employers that states social workers will receive a 5% pay rise for workers earning up to £60k a year.

With current social care workers paying £80 to register, the Scottish government will now be paying an estimated cost of £2.2m this year.

Specific details are yet to be finalised, but it is expected staff will continue to renew their registration like normal and their fees will be paid by their employers.

Joanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland’s Head of local government said: ‘UNISON members have spoken and voted to accept the improved pay offer and we will now press COSLA to get this money into people’s pay packets as quickly as possible.’

‘The lesson the Scottish government needs to take from this is that they need to fund local government, and the workers that serve our local communities,’ Ms Baxter said, ‘UNISON will continue to lead the campaign for investment in councils and for staff to get the pay, reward and recognition they deserve.’

To read more about the financial issues the health care sector is facing visit here.   

Photo by National Cancer Institute