Brian Whittle MSP is backing Scottish Conservative plans for a Local Care Service in South Scotland.
He says that care services can be more effective when they’re driven by local priorities in communities, and not the priorities of Ministers and civil servants in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Conservatives’ plans come in response to the SNP’s proposals for a centralised National Care Service which they believe could mean years of expensive, top-down reforms that risk harming Scotland’s care sector.
Brian believes that the experience of unifying Scotland’s regional forces into Police Scotland demonstrates the potential hazards of a National Service and is concerned that a single, nation-wide approach won’t work for local communities.
The South Scotland MSP doesn’t want to see councils stripped of decision making power and the loss of local accountability that comes with it.
The Scottish Conservatives are instead proposing plans which include a “local care guarantee” to strengthen existing integration joint boards and give the Care Inspectorate more powers to drive up care standards. The party has also set out a list of key tests they believe the SNP must meet if they insist on pushing ahead with their plans. These include a guarantee that no-one will be forced to access care away from their family and community because of a lack of local provision.
Brian also wants any plans for the future of care to consider how the sector coped with the pandemic and says that an interim report of the Scottish Covid Inquiry should be published as soon as possible to ensure that the lessons of the devastating effects of Covid on care homes can be learned.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“The pandemic has given us all a greater appreciation for the hard work done by those working in social care.
It’s clear that our social care services need investment and change to be ready for the future but the SNP’s centralising plans seem unlikely to deliver what’s needed.
Social care services in a local community work best when they are organised and delivered by people who know the area best – the people who live and work there.
The loss of regional police forces and the creation of Police Scotland has shown the potential risks of a creating a single, national entity to provide local services.
The future of social care should be local, with decisions about how to deliver services being made locally and those making the decisions being held accountable by the communities they serve.
I hope the Scottish Government will seriously consider these constructive proposals from the Scottish Conservatives. I will continue to work with local social care providers and people who receive social care to ensure that their voices are heard as these plans progress.”
