What is the National Care Service?
The National Care Service (NCS) aims to improve community health and social care support in Scotland.
The National Care Service (Scotland) bill was introduced in June 2022. In its original form, it proposed allowing Scottish Ministers to transfer social care responsibility from local authorities to a new, national service. This could include adult and children’s services, as well as areas such as justice and social work. Scottish Ministers would also be able to transfer healthcare functions from the NHS to the National Care Service.
Throughout an extended Stage 1 period, there has been consultation and co-design with key stakeholders, including people who are supported, their families and support providers. The intention was to hear the views and experiences of these stakeholders and to use this to develop and strengthen the proposals.
During this time, it was agreed in the Verity House Agreement that overall legal accountability for the NCS will be shared between the Scottish Government, local government and the NHS. This means that staff will continue to be employed by local authorities, and local authorities will continue to be responsible for delivering services.
The first debate in the Scottish Parliament on the National Care Service took place on the 29th February 2024.
How is Carr Gomm influencing the National Care Service?
Carr Gomm has been actively contributing to the development of the NCS to ensure that the experience and insights of Carr Gomm and people who we support are heard.
We call for the NCS to:
· Recognise the positive impact of excellent person-centred support provided by Carr Gomm.
· Support equal recognition and reward for all social care workers, regardless of employer.
· Pause all competitive tendering; explore collaborative and ethical commissioning approaches; and ensure SDS is a real option for all eligible citizens.
There are several ways Carr Gomm is influencing good change through the NCS:
Carr Gomm’s Involvement Group:
The Involvement Group is made up of people supported by Carr Gomm. At their monthly meetings, they have been discussing how a National Care Service could improve how people access, live and thrive with social care support. They have contributed to regional co-design sessions and national consultations and met with civil servants and MSPs.
MSP Visits
Carr Gomm welcomed MSPs from across Scotland to Carr Gomm’s services. They heard about the impact Carr Gomm has in their constituency area. We shared with them how Carr Gomm and the people we support are not broken, as people are enabled to live their best possible lives with our support. In 2023, Carr Gomm received visits from 7 MSPs from various political parties, including the First Minister.
- The First Minister visits our Glasgow Office
- Jeremy Balfour MSP meets our Edinburgh & Lothians services
- Gillian MacKay MSP visits Carr Gomm’s Falkirk Service
- Welcoming Carol Mochan MSP to our Borders Service
- Michael Matheson MSP visits Falkirk Service
- Jenni Minto visits Dunoon service
- Sandesh Gulhane visits Glasgow service
CCPS #4StepstoFairWorkCampaign
Carr Gomm has been involved in the Coalition of Care Providers Scotland (CCPS) #4StepstoFairWorkCampaign, recognising that many of the ambitions of the National Care Service should be brought forward earlier.
Read Deputy Chief Executive, Andrew’s blog on the #4StepstoFairWork
#ValueSocialCare Campaign
In the lead-up to the National Care Service parliamentary discussion, we launched our #ValueSocialCare Campaign. The aim of the campaign is to highlight the importance of social care, its positive impact on people’s lives and how essential it is to thousands of people across Scotland.
Watch the video below to hear people supported in Forth Valley share their favourite things about Carr Gomm, and check out more content from our #ValueSocialCare Campaign.
Scottish Parliamentary Debate
On the 29th of February, 2024, stage 1 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was passed in Parliament. The Bill will now move into Stage 2, where amendments will be considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee before Stage 3, when the full Parliament will have a final vote on whether to pass the Bill.
Watch the video to see the full debate.
Ministerial Statement
On the 21st of November, 2024, Maree Todd, Social Care Minister, announced there would be a delay to the next stages of the National Care Service (NCS) Bill.
Watch the video to hear Maree Todd’s full statement.
Influencing Change blog
Read our Influencing Change blog below to hear more about what Carr Gomm is doing to shape the National Care Service.
For more about how Carr Gomm influences change, click here.
Disability Commissioner Consultation
Carr Gomm responded to the Proposed Disability Commissioner (Scotland) Bill in May 2024. Carr Gomm supports the general principle of establishing a Disability Commissioner for Scotland to promote and safeguard the rights of disabled people. We believe it is...
Becs Barker leads SDSS conference
Becs reflects on the SDSS National Voice conference and why it’s important to her and to Carr Gomm that we influence and be part of change in social care. Community Contacts offers a helping hand to hundreds of people each year looking for information, advice,...
International perspectives on Scotland’s National Care Service
How can other countries' social care systems influence Scotland's National Care Service? Scotland is not alone in the world as it seeks to develop a new National Care Service (NCS). Many countries are seeking new ways that can better respond to the challenges...
Why I’m getting involved in the National Care Service
Lucy, our Chief Exec, sat down with Charlotte from our National Involvement Group and Becs (Operations Manager) to discuss what the National Care Service could look like and why it’s important for people we support to have their voices heard. In addition to discussing...
Ending the health and social care relay race
If you’ve not watched our feature on Darren McGarvey’s: The State We’re In, you can still catch it on BBC iPlayer. If you have watched it, you will have noticed how many questions the programme raises about why health and social care is in the state it’s in. Questions...
Carr Gomm on the BBC
Carr Gomm features in a new three part, UK-wide BBC documentary – Darren McGarvey: The State We’re In. Carr Gomm welcomed Scottish rapper and social commentator, Darren McGarvey to Carr Gomm as he spent a day on shift with our Dunoon Mobile Homecare Responder...
Carr Gomm’s Becs Barker gives evidence to the Scottish Parliament on SDS
Becs Barker, Carr Gomm's Operations Manager for Community Contacts, Involvement, Quality and Innovation, gave evidence on behalf of social care providers on whether Self-Directed Support (SDS) has achieved its ambitions in Scotland. SDS was brought in as the primary...
Scottish Minister responds to Carr Gomm’s call for social care wage uplift
Maree Todd MSP (Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport) has responded to Carr Gomm’s letter which calls for the Scottish Government to close the unjust pay gap between workers employed by commissioned providers and equivalent workers employed by the...
Has Scotland’s Self-Directed Support Act achieved its ambitions?
Carr Gomm, our National Involvement Group and the Community Contacts project have shared with the Scottish Parliament whether Self-Directed Support Legislation (SDS) has realised its aims. SDS aims to give people as much choice and control as they want about how their...