This blogpost provides a central hub for all SPICe work on the National Care Service (NCS) and some links to other relevant SPICe material to assist Members and others.
The National Care Service was a recommendation of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (Feeley Review) which reported in February 2021. The recommendation was to reform social care in Scotland and create national accountability for social care support. The Scottish Government launched a consultation on the NCS in August 2021, and published an analysis of responses in February 2022. The 2021-22 Programme for Government laid out plans to introduce legislation to set up the NCS by June 2022.
The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 20 June 2022. The Bill is currently at Stage 1, and is being considered by a range of parliamentary committees, with the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee acting as the lead committee at Stage 1.
The Scottish Government has also published a range of associated papers including evidence papers and impact assessments.
This hub will be updated with further information as the Bill moves through its parliamentary stages.
SPICe blogs and briefings on the National Care Service
Our detailed briefing on the NCS Bill can be found via this link. And our summary of written evidence for the lead Committee can be found on the Committee’s webpage.
Other blog articles related to the NCS are listed below:
- How do you design a public (national care) service? (17 November 2022)
- What is ethical commissioning and why does it matter? (12 August 2022)
- The National Care Service will be here soon…or will it (03 August 2022)
- Rural health and social care in Scotland (02 August 2022)
- Social work and the National Care Service (30 May 2022)
- The National Care Service – what is happening next? (11 February 2022)
- Could a National Care Service work like the National Health Service? (25 June 2021)
Other SPICe material
We have also recently published a number of other blogs and briefings on social care in Scotland.
Blogs
- Social Work Workforce FAQs (30 May 2022)
- More money or more reform? How are the UK and Scottish Governments thinking differently about health and care reform (5 October 2021)
- Health and social care: who pays, who decides? (14 September 2021)
- Health and Social Care integration Part 1: Are Integration Authorities successfully integrating? (2 September 2021)
- Health and Social Care integration Part 2: Have data gaps been addressed? (2 September 2021)
- The Health and Sport Committee looks ahead to what should change in social care (29 September 2020)
Briefings
Social Work in Scotland (25 May 2022)
Scotland’s care system for children and young people: subject profile (20 January 2022)
Adult social care and support in Scotland (3 December 2020)
Health and social care integration: spending and performance update (26 June 2019)
Primary Care in Scotland (29 May 2019)
Transitions of young people with service and care needs between child and adult services in Scotland (29 March 2019)
Integration of Health and Social Care (24 August 2016)
Integration of Health and Social Care: International Comparisons (16 July 2012)