On a winter morning in Lanarkshire, Mary waits for her homecare worker to arrive. That knock on the door is more than routine – it is the sound of dignity, independence, and human connection. Yet for thousands like Mary, this lifeline is under threat. As Scotland heads into an election, we face a stark choice: will social care remain the poor relation of public policy, or will we finally recognise it as the cornerstone of a fair society?

For too long, social care has been treated as a cost to contain rather than an investment to cherish. The consequences are visible everywhere: care homes closing their doors, homecare visits squeezed into 15-minute slots, and exhausted staff leaving for better-paid jobs elsewhere. Behind these headlines are real lives, families desperate for placements, older people stuck in hospital because there is nowhere for them to go, and workers who feel undervalued despite doing one of the most important jobs in Scotland. This is not inevitable. It is the result of political choices. And it is time those choices changed.

Scottish Care’s 2025 Manifesto, Care Creates, offers a vision that should inspire every party. It calls for fair pay and career progression for care workers, investment in technology that serves people rather than bureaucracy, and commissioning models that prioritise dignity over penny-pinching. It reframes care as infrastructure, as essential to health, the economy, and community resilience. This is not radical; it is common sense.

Imagine a Scotland where care homes are vibrant hubs of community life, not symbols of decline. Where homecare visits allow time for conversation, not just tasks. Where digital tools free staff to spend more time with people, not screens. These are achievable goals but only if we have the courage to act.

The political backdrop is messy, with parties point-scoring and funding gaps are huge. But the election offers a moment of clarity. Every manifesto will talk about fairness, wellbeing, and community. Social care is where those words become reality or ring hollow. Investment is not charity; it is strategy. Every pound spent on care reduces hospital admissions, supports jobs, and strengthens families. Yet the true cost of care remains unfunded. Closing these gaps is not optional; it is the price of a system that works.

But to truly put social care at the heart of Scotland’s future, we must go further. We need to see social care as a driver of innovation and sustainability. Our sector is already pioneering green initiatives, embedding human rights, and investing in local economies. The Care Creates campaign is about more than funding – it’s about reimagining care as a foundation for a just, resilient, and compassionate society. This means supporting our workforce with fair pay, robust training, and recognition equal to that of NHS colleagues. It means ethical commissioning that values relationships and continuity, not just cost. And it means listening to the voices of those who deliver and receive care every day.

The reality for many care workers is stark: lower pay, fewer benefits, and less security than their counterparts in health. This disparity is not just unfair – it is unsustainable. If we want to attract and retain skilled, compassionate people, we must offer them respect, opportunity, and a real career path. The pandemic showed us the vital role of social care, but applause and promises are not enough. We need action and we need it now.

This is my challenge to Scotland’s politicians: stop treating social care as an afterthought. Make it central to your vision for the nation. Commit to sustainable funding, ethical commissioning, and parity of esteem for care workers. Recognise that social care is not a drain on resources but a driver of wellbeing and economic resilience.

Mary’s quiet morning should not be a privilege; it should be a promise. A promise that, whatever our age or circumstance, we will be cared for with dignity, respect, and compassion. That is not just good policy – it is who we are as a nation.

Professor Donald Macaskill
CEO, Scottish Care

On Human Rights Day (10 December 2025), the Five Nations Care Forum – which comprises of care associations from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – wrote to the UK Government urging full and active participation in drafting a new UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

The letter, addressed to Rt Hon Chris Elmore MP, Minister for Human Right, highlights the urgent need to uphold the dignity, rights and equal citizenship of older people, and calls for the voices of older persons and social care providers to be central to the process.

Read the letter below.

Download letter here.

Insights on Ethical Commissioning – Lynn Laughland MBE, Chief Executive Officer, HRM Homecare

As Scottish Care’s advocacy for the thorough implementation of ethical commissioning and procurement progresses at pace towards upcoming Scottish Government Statutory Guidance, the necessity of such work for the homecare and housing support sector is further evidenced by the latest Homecare Deficit 2025 report.

The Homecare Association’s 2025 analysis calculates that the Minimum Price for Homecare needed to deliver safe, legal and sustainable care is £32.88 per hour. Yet many councils continue to commission at rates well below the real cost of delivery, with funding in recent years failing to keep pace with inflation, workforce pressures or legal employment standards.

Over the last four years, commissioning levels have covered only 87.6% of provider costs on average, leaving providers forced to absorb the remaining deficit or reduce service capacity. This chronic underfunding has been accompanied by widening pay inequality between public-sector-delivered homecare and the independent and voluntary sectors, who provide the majority of Scotland’s care hours. The result is a destabilised market, weakened workforce, and compromised continuity of care for the people of Scotland.

Lynn Laughland MBE, Chief Executive Officer of HRM Homecare and member of the Scottish Care Executive, speaks further on the importance of continuity of care.

Continuity of Care: Why the People Behind the Service Matter

I’ll never forget a conversation I had with an older neighbour a while back. She told me how much she looked forward to seeing her support worker each morning—not just for help with breakfast and medication, but for the chats, the laughter, and the reassurance that someone truly knew her. “She’s like family now,” she said with a smile.

Then, after a spell in hospital, everything changed. When she returned home, she discovered her care package had been reassigned. The familiar face she had come to trust was gone, replaced by a new team of staff. “They’re kind,” she admitted, “but they don’t know me.” There was a sadness in her voice, the sense of having lost more than just a routine—it was the loss of a relationship.

I share this story not to criticise but to reflect. In Falkirk, and in many other areas, councils allocate home care based on availability and cost. I understand the pressures behind this system: resources are tight, demand is high, and fairness matters. But I also see the human side—the person who, just when they are most vulnerable after hospital, has to start over with strangers instead of returning to the carers who know them best.

Continuity of care is about more than convenience. It’s about safety, dignity, and confidence. A support worker who knows someone well can spot when they’re not quite themselves, notice the small changes that signal something bigger, and provide comfort at a time when everything else feels uncertain.

I believe councils do their best within difficult circumstances. But perhaps we can start asking whether continuity could be given greater weight in the way care is allocated. Could there be more flexibility, more room to reconnect people with their previous carers when they come home? Even if it can’t always happen, trying where possible could make a world of difference.

Care is not simply a service to be delivered—it is a relationship to be nurtured. Protecting those relationships means protecting people’s sense of stability, identity, and wellbeing. And in the end, isn’t that what care is really about?

For further insights from Lynn on a range of matters involving ethical commissioning, please see the following columns:

• Step away from the skills funding cliff edge – healthandcare.scot – 1 December 2025
• The Homecare Deficit 2025: Opportunities for Reform – Homecare Insight – 25 November 2025
• Aligning Fair Home Care Work with Financial Reality – Homecare Insight – 30 October 2025
• Change is Urgently Needed to Reduce Commissioning Pressures – Homecare Insight – 29 September 2025
• Addressing Pay Inequality in Scottish Home Care – Homecare Insight – 15 September 2025
• Local Authorities Must End Unfair Recruitment in Social Care – Homecare Insight – 15 September 2025