National Care Service – email your MSP

The proposed national care service will not be a system like the NHS. Instead what will be set up will fundamentally challenge the idea that publicly services should be publicly delivered. We are asking all UNISON members to raise concerns with their MSPs – which can be done by clicking here.

The Scottish Government aim is that the National Care Service (NCS) will bring together social work, social care and community health. These services won’t be delivered directly by public sector bodies – but purchased by new quangoes (Care Boards) from the public, private and third sector.

All legal responsibility for these services will be transferred from local government and, if Scottish Government ministers decide, from the NHS. The impact will be enormous.

This could mean 75 000 staff being transferred out of local government to new employers (as well as upheaval for an unknown number of staff in the NHS and other agencies). If the scheme goes ahead the way the Scottish Government intends Care Boards will receive 1/3 of the budget that currently goes to councils – this will have an impact on staff across the board as councils will require fewer staff in Finance, HR, facilities management etc.

While this is happening, the profit making that has done such damage to the care system won’t be stopped – and a whole range of other services; from children and families services to criminal justice social work and a lot in between will be opened to tendering and contracting.

More detail on the proposal can be found in this UNISON Brief Guide to the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.

Keep up to date with UNISON Scotland’s campaign to kick profit out of care and defend public services on the UNISON Scotland website and by following @unisonncswatch on twitter

Stephen Low
Policy Officer

UNISON Scotland