This week, Carr Gomm joined five other major social care charities in writing to the First Minister, urging the Scottish Government to take immediate action on the rising costs threatening Social Care caused by the increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions (eNIC).
The joint letter, signed by leaders across the sector, highlights the critical and unsustainable position many not-for-profit providers now face. As outlined in the letter, the changes to eNIC (combined with an overall reduction in the threshold at which contributions apply) will cost our group of organisations around £7 million this year alone. Across the whole sector, the figure could rise to an astonishing £84 million.
This is not just a budget line. These costs present an existential threat to the social care system in Scotland as we know it.
We appreciate the multitude of challenges which your government faces in terms of the current fiscal environment and the competing pressures. However, social care is in crisis, and it is essential that the Scottish Government acts and demonstrate the leadership that is required. So often we hear that the funding was not passed on, that we value the sector, that we have given some money over but nothing that shows commitment to making the choice to fix the funding crisis.
At Carr Gomm, we are proud to deliver essential public services, supporting thousands of people every day to live safely, independently and meaningfully in their own homes and communities. But, like others in the sector, we are being forced to consider the unthinkable: handing back services, pausing innovation, and making difficult decisions about our ability to grow and deliver at the scale required.
That’s why we, and others, are calling on the Scottish Government to step up—now.
The UK Government’s latest spending review has delivered the largest ever fiscal settlement to Scotland since devolution. Within that, the Scottish Government has an opportunity: to cut through years of rhetoric about valuing social care, and to instead make a clear, tangible commitment to funding it properly.
We know that plugging the eNIC funding gap won’t solve every challenge the sector faces. But it is a crucial step. One that would demonstrate real leadership, protect existing services, and unlock potential for innovation and improvement. At Carr Gomm, we believe that everyone deserves high-quality, person-centred support. We also believe that those who work in social care deserve to feel valued, protected and empowered to do their vital work.
Social care is not broken, but it is under threat. The solution is not just possible; it is necessary. We will continue to speak out and stand alongside our sector partners until the action matches the ambition that people in Scotland rightly expect and deserve.