By Lucy Ashton
Social care in Scotland is “at breaking point” Scottish Labour has said today, as the Scottish Parliament’s finance committee has demanded answers on the financial mess that is the SNP’s National Care Service plan.
The finance committee says that it needs a new financial memorandum from Mairi Todd by no later than the 12th of May.
The committee has said that it is ‘becoming increasingly concerned at the lack of information available on the financial implications of the Bill and frustrated that we have still not received the updated FM we requested back in December last year.’
This intervention comes as a new report revealed that as of 17 April over 6,700 Scots were waiting for a social care assessment and a further 4,100 were waiting for care at home packages, with 39,000 hours of care at home yet to be provided for people who have received an assessment.
Labour called on the government to set aside their botched National Care Service plans and instead to focus on supporting social care services and staff.
Scottish Labour Social Care spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “Thousands of Scots are stuck in limbo waiting for social care assessments or waiting for social care packages, but all the SNP has to offer them is their bungled plans for a National Care Service.
“That the finance committee has been forced to send this letter to break the silence from the SNP is truly shocking. Not a day seems to go by without the SNP attempting to cloak their own failures in secrecy.
“Social care in Scotland is at breaking point and a centralising SNP power grab won’t help.
“We need support for services and fair pay for dedicated social care workers, who have gone above and beyond to keep this crisis at bay.
“The SNP must set aside their botched plans and instead focus on delivering the change social care really needs.”
Social care – Demand for Care at Home Services
- At 17 April, over 6,700 people were waiting for a social care assessment.
- Over 4,100 people had been assessed and were waiting for a care home package.
- 39,037 hours of care at home have yet to be provided for assessed individuals in Scotland (estimated).