December 2023
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This conference focused on priorities and next steps for social care in Scotland.
It brought stakeholders together with policymakers to discuss the way forward for plans to develop a National Care Service (NCS), as stage one scrutiny of the NCS Bill is extended to January 2024.
Sessions assessed issues being raised relating to the NCS Bill, including concern over financial viability and design of the Bill itself, and calls for scrutiny and transparency within any future centralised service.
Areas for discussion included value for money and costs, minimising disruption to current service provision, key workforce issues, including around recruitment and retention, and the role of local authorities in any future NCS.
The conference was also an opportunity to examine the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation (IRISR) commissioned by The Scottish Government following its report, as well as the Verity House Agreement for shared legal responsibility between government, the future NCS and local councils.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with: Rachel Cackett, Chief Executive Officer, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland; Robert Kilgour, Executive Chairman, Renaissance; and Dr Iain Atherton, Co-Director, Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research.
Sessions in the agenda included:
- the current landscape: assessing social care in Scotland and the outlook for a National Care Service
- NCS issues: costs and funding - collaborative frameworks - minimising disruption to service provision - listening to the voices of lived experience - standardising care between rural and urban areas
- quality: delivery - person-centred care - improving user experience - workforce recruitment and development - role of the voluntary and independent sectors
- costs: achieving value for money in a new social care service - evaluating costs and further funding options, including the role of the third sector
- inspection: priorities for transparency and fairness in social care
- policy: the way forward for social care strategy in Scotland
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from Department of Health, ROI; DHSC; Education Scotland; HSE; UKSA; and The Scottish Government.
