Scottish Care is extremely disappointed with the publication of the UK Government’s immigration plans. Whilst there are merits in the Australian Points based system the Government has failed to utilise the flexibility and regionalism options to the benefit of social care and Scotland.

Scottish Care has consistently highlighted the demographic challenge of an ageing population and workforce which Scotland faces.The care sector is dependent upon the tremendous skills and contribution of our migrant workforce. Faced with already critical shortages we need an immigration system which works. These proposals do little to address our significant concerns.

Dr Donald Macaskill CEO commented:

“Yet again we have a set of proposals which treat the critical role of frontline care as unskilled. This is offensive and these proposals are damaging. To presume anyone can simply do the job of compassionate and dignified care is deluded.”

“The salary thresholds, the language and qualification requirements are wholly unrealistic and simply don’t speak to the reality of social care.”

“These proposals have been developed by those who have failed to listen to the concerns of employers. They are likely to result in significant damage to the care sector in Scotland unless they are changed.”

“Instead of a progressive immigration policy which is aimed at enhancing the economic s and social well-being of our country we have presented here a system which will do irreparable damage and will impact on the lives of thousands of ordinary Scots who will see the loss and diminution of critical care services.”

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Media links

Good Morning Scotland

The Guardian

Third Force News

Before the Scottish Budget Scottish Care had in an Open Letter (https://scottishcare.org/open-letter-to-finance-secretary/ ) called upon the Finance Secretary to recognise the significant fiscal contribution of social care to the whole Scottish economy. We appealed for an increased budget of between 3-5% to address the chronic underfunding of public social care services in Scotland. We are therefore immensely disappointed that the pleas of many across the sector have fallen on deaf ears and that the increased funding  which has been announced will only be in the region of £69million. This is swallowed up completely when the increases in the Real Living and National Minimum Wages are taken into account. There is no funding for sustaining the sector to meet increased challenges.

Scottish Care agrees with COSLA (the local government association in Scotland) who have highlighted that the Budget whilst announcing £495m extra for councils also makes £590m worth of Government commitments which they have to carry out. Effectively local government which is already on its knees is facing a £95m shortfall.

Scottish Care Chief Executive Dr Donald Macaskill commented.

“The Scottish Budget is another huge disappointment. There is a critical gap between the political rhetoric that the Government cares for and supports social care and the reality of a funding package which does absolutely nothing to address the problems facing the sector. That reality is a critical and worsening workforce shortages, rising costs, increased levels of need and demand and an urgent need to invest, . The social care sector for older people in Scotland is teetering on the brink. This budget far from throwing it a necessary lifeline  pushes us closer to the edge.”

New research by Scottish Care, the representative body for Scotland’s independent social care services, indicates that there has been a failure in the implementation of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) Act for older people accessing nursing and residential care home provision. Scottish Care argues that this poses potential equality and human rights issues in their latest report which will be launched at a round table discussion event at Glasgow Caledonian University on Wednesday 12^th February.

‘The Future of Self-directed Care in Scotland Round Table’ is hosted by Glasgow Caledonian University in collaboration with SIKE (Social Innovation Knowledge Exchange, an Eramus+ project), the University of Stirling and Scottish Care. This round table discussion seeks to collate insights from key stakeholders in order to generate a Briefing Paper for policymakers in government and local authorities on future directions in self-directed care in Scotland.

The report titled ‘Rights at home: the Scottish care home sector and Self-directed Support’ highlights the importance of measuring the extent of self-directed support for older persons care homes. However, statistics show that most individuals accessing care and support in care homes in Scotland are not been given their full rights under the self-directed support legislation:

• 98% of care homes surveyed stated that none of their residents are in receipt of an SDS package.
• 25% of care home residents were believed to had been given an assessment which identified personal outcomes under the SDS Act
• 09% of the potential total of care home residents were in receipt of an SDS personal budget
• 1% of care home residents in the survey were given the choice of available SDS Options

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care commented:

“This research makes for sad and disturbing reading. It is quite clear that older adults in Scotland who find themselves moving into a care home are being denied their full rights under the Self-directed Support Act which is the main way people get social care and support in Scotland today. Five years on from the Act commencing older Scots are not being given the choice and control that others have. They are being treated as second-class citizens. This is wholly and utterly unacceptable and all stakeholders involved including national and local Government together with providers need to act on this as a matter of real urgency.

The unequal and discriminatory treatment of individuals on the grounds of service and age in the implementation of Self-directed Support where there is no justifiable and legitimate reason for this treatment is effectively a breach of the human rights of the individuals involved.”