Inaugural Care Lecture sees call for Social Care Commission

Scottish Care is delighted to be hosting the first Care Lecture which will be held in the Banking Hall, 30 St Vincent Place, Glasgow on Thursday 31st August from 6.45pm.

We are very grateful for the support and sponsorship of the Clydesdale Bank in this venture which we hope will become an annual event. It is an opportunity to highlight the significant issues facing social care and in particular older people in modern Scotland.

The lecturer this year is Ms Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission who will talk to the subject: ‘Human rights in social care in Scotland.’

Speaking ahead of the Lecture, Ms Robertson said:

“Putting human rights at the heart of social care systems ensures every service user has all they need to live with dignity, freedom and respect when they need it most.  If embedded in existing social care policies and practices, human rights can improve experiences for everybody – from service users, to workers, to care providers. The evidence of this impact can be seen through examples of human rights in practice in some health and social care settings in Scotland including the National Dementia Strategy.

“However gaps continue to be felt where it really matters – in the reality of too many people’s day-to-day lives. This is why we are calling for the urgent establishment of an independent Scottish Commission on Social Care. A commission: that listens to and learns from those who have experienced social care; that guides national and local government to put the rights of these citizens and wellbeing of society as a whole first; and ensures social care policies and procedures live up to our country’s vision for a fair and just society.

“The UK and Scottish Governments, and social care providers –  across the public, private and third sector – in Scotland can and must do more to address gaps in social care. An independent Scottish Social Care Commission could help them do this – as recommended by the group that developed the shared ambition for the Future of Social Care in Scotland – ‘facilitating honest conversations about for example where to invest or disinvest to make the greatest impact for communities throughout Scotland.’

“Establishing a commission of this nature would also demonstrate to the United Nations (UN) that Scotland is making real progress in in meeting some of the human rights obligations that our governments have agreed to. Indeed, this was one of our key recommendations in our submission to the UN’s recent universal periodic review of human rights in the UK.”

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care said:

“Human rights are talked about a lot these days and I am very pleased we will have the opportunity to hear from Ms Robertson on what that means for social care in Scotland. Scottish Care welcome the call from the SHRC for the establishment of a Scottish Commission on Social Care.

“We are quite rightly committed to creating a world class health and social care system in Scotland. Such a system has to be based on the rights and dignity of all people.

“But talk about rights can be easy and casual. Putting human rights into practice is much more challenging. It means, amongst other things, that the way we buy care has to be rights based not driving costs down to the bottom in the name of efficiencies. It means we have to adequately reward and remunerate a workforce dedicated to helping another realise their rights and who themselves understand that they have human rights which need fulfillment. It means that the delivery of care, the environment, the purposes of activity in care homes and in our community, are all solidly rooted in the soil of human rights. It means that citizens have maximum control and choice, the ability to lead independent lives, to be cared for in compassion and when the time comes to make rights based choices as their life ends.

“The new Health and Care Standards give us in Scotland the potential to be ground-breaking but that potential has to be worked for and won’t be realised overnight.

“There are too many instances in Scotland today where older Scots are being actively denied the exercise of full choice and control over their social care and where there is a clear breach of their rights as equal citizens. This acceptable form of discrimination has to end.

“Like so many others I want to live in a Scotland which enshrines human rights in its social care. That will remain a dream until we end the age discrimination which treats older Scots more unfairly than others. It will remain a dream until we recognise the value and contribution of social care workers and end the gender discrimination in their treatment. I don’t want to be dreaming I want to live and breathe in a fully rights based country.”

Ends

Scottish Care welcomes the publication of the report on Self-directed Support by Audit Scotland.

As a membership organisation representing providers who deliver care and support to the majority of older people who use services in Scotland, Scottish Care has long campaigned for the ability of older Scots to be able to access their full rights and entitlements.

Self-directed Support offers a very real potential for individuals to become much more in control of their care and the budget allocated to meet their needs. Regretfully this report highlights the many barriers and obstacles which still exist and which are today preventing Scotland’s older citizens from exercising their rights. We are disappointed, however, that even the report has nothing to say about the 33,000 older Scots in residential and nursing care homes who are currently not accessing Self-directed Support options. This is a serious omission.

It is simply unacceptable that years after the start of this legislation we are still encountering too many individuals being denied their full rights.

Scottish Care calls upon all partners to work deliberately and energetically to achieving the ambitions of this legislation.

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care said:

“This report is an indictment on the failure of the social care system at local Government and Integrated Joint Board level to adequately support the rights of older Scots to access choice and control over their care.

“The current Scottish Government has led on this pioneering policy and has invested significant additional resource at local authority level to enable the change to happen. We do not believe that resource has been well used. The report clearly indicates that the failures thus far lie squarely at the door of our local authorities and their partners in the Integrated Joint Boards. It is deeply regrettable that practices still remain at local authority level, especially the way procurement and commissioning happens, which breach this legislation and act against the rights of older Scots.

“It is simply not acceptable to pass legislation then sit back and see what happens. SDS requires that both national and local Government and its officials robustly engage in the radical change of culture and practice that puts the individual citizen at the centre of their care. This has simply not happened. Control and therefore the power to direct your care and support remains stubbornly in the hands of officials in local authority social work, procurement and finance departments. Self-directed Support demands control is given to the citizen.

“I still frequently come across instances where there is an assumption that Self-directed Support is an option, a last consideration, an added luxury. Well it is none of these – it is the law, and the only route by which individuals accessing social care should be supported.

“The Audit Scotland report shows what needs to be done. Innovative and transformative legislation requires leadership at local and national level. The older citizens of Scotland whom I meet are rightly demanding an end of the resistance to them having choice and control. I hope we don’t have to wait for yet another Plan to put into practice what is already the law. It is time for all partners to start properly implementing this legislation and to make the changes that are required.”