Some of the leading voices in the third sector and social care delivery are coming together to publish a comprehensive review of the challenges and opportunities of the Scottish government’s proposals for a National Care Service (NCS), which they hope can help inform the next step in developing the plans.  

The programme to create an anthology of views is being led by the ALLIANCE – Scotland’s national third sector intermediary for health and social care – which has consulted a range of its member organisations representing and supporting people in Scotland to outline priorities in social care.   

Justine Duncan, Director of Policy and Communications at the ALLIANCE, told healthandcare.scot that the anthology will be published this week and discussions will continue at their annual conference later this year:  

“We are really interested in the progress and proposals for the National Care Service. We have a whole range of activities that we've got planned, and we’ve created this with our members who are interested in this work to try keep them informed.   

“A lot of our members have grave concerns but there’s also a possibility for great opportunity here.”

The ALLIANCE says it is essential government collaborates across different voices from third sector and lived experience in creating and delivering the NCS. The ALLIANCE says this approach was central to the development of their anthology, which includes contributions from carers organisations, research centres and mental health organisations.  

A recent report from a Scottish government’s survey found an increase in the number of unpaid carers, with almost a third feeling unsupported to continue and the least positive responses concerning mental health support in Scotland.   

Ms Duncan explained that one important way to address this and wider issues in social care issues in Scotland is involving people with lived experience from the beginning:  

“We can't just have a group of civil servants and even people from different organisations – we need to have people with lived experience from the start, talking about what’s happened for them and what needs to improve and change.”  

However, Ms Duncan and her colleagues are optimistic about the opportunity here to make these positive changes in Scotland to address the pressures of the previous years, with both systems restructuring and meaningful changes to individual people’s lives.  

In her foreword to the anthology, the ALLIANCE’s Chief Officer, Sara Redmond, says contributors from across the third sector not only outline the challenges to those delivering social care, but also the changes that are needed urgently.   

She said that embedding lived experiences into policy and local delivery plans is necessary to improve the sector: 

“To do this, Scotland must keep the vision of social care and the expertise of lived experience at the heart of the future being set out, enabling local solutions to ensure choice, control, dignity, and freedom.  

“Embedding lived experience in the proposed National Care Service involves more than consultation.”  

Another area of focus highlighted in the anthology is the importance of collecting data on progress, and monitoring the improvements being made by social care support systems in Scotland.  

Ms Duncan explained that across thousands of organisations, a lot of research has been done, collecting feedback from people and that this “must now be used properly and acted upon”.  

Claire Cairns, Director of the Coalition of Carers Scotland writes in the anthology:  

“We need more consistency and transparency around data. So often data that is meticulously collected locally, can’t be benchmarked nationally due to variations. This will require investment in accessible electronic systems, as well as a common approach on how data is collected.”  

Ms Cairns also highlighted the importance of collecting qualitative data and striking a balance between community-led support and national oversight.  

Properly funding social care and creating adequate resource packs for communities, along with ethical commissioning of social care providers to enable collaboration to enable the most effective provision of social care in Scotland is also highlighted.  

Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value for Audit Scotland writes that some social care services are “at near crisis point”, with urgent action needed ahead of the establishment of the NCS.  

In the anthology, Karen Hedge, Deputy CEO of Scottish Care, also shared:  

“While the NCS will offer national structures of governance and accountability, it must also be fluid and agile, creating the conditions for diversity and localism, led by and for people not systems.”  

Ms Duncan said she hopes that the information and perspectives provided in this anthology can inform government and lead to greater inclusion and meaningful action from the government on social care.  

Read more: Over half of Scots fear lack of mental health support; Third of carers feel unsupported, survey shows; Health poverty hits children halfway through pregnancy

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