Scotland has taken a major step toward reforming its social care system, as the Scottish Parliament approved new legislation aimed at strengthening care support—particularly for unpaid carers and individuals in residential care—after previously proposed plans for a National Care Service were dropped.
The newly titled Care Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed at Holyrood this week with cross-party support, bringing to an end months of debate and adjustment. While the original proposal had envisaged sweeping reforms that would have shifted the responsibility for delivering social care directly to the Scottish Government, those plans were ultimately scaled back following significant opposition from local councils, trade unions and political parties.
The original concept, which aimed to centralise care delivery under a new National Care Service structure, faced mounting criticism and was eventually set aside, despite substantial investment in its development.
Instead, the focus of the newly passed bill has shifted to more targeted reforms.
The Bill will bring forward a number of enhancements to social care that include:
enshrining Anne’s Law into legislation to uphold the rights of people living in adult care homes to see loved ones and identify an essential care supporter
strengthening support for unpaid carers by establishing a legal right to breaks, following the additional £13 million already allocated for up to 40,000 carers to take voluntary sector short breaks
empowering people to access information on their care and improving the flow of information across care settings
improving access to independent advocacy to guarantee people are heard and involved in decisions about their own care
creating a National Chief Social Work Adviser role to provide professional leadership and champion the sector, as part of plans for a new National Social Work Agency.
Social Care Minister Maree Todd said:
“More than 200,000 people across Scotland access care each year.
“Anyone may need care during their lives, and that care should be high quality and delivered consistently across Scotland. That is why we have been so determined to bring forward much-needed reform, alongside the work we are already doing through the near £2.2 billion total investment in social care and integration in 2025-26.
“Reform is not easy to deliver and it is being made more challenging by recent UK Government changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions and changes to migration. These will undoubtedly impact on care delivery.
“However, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to deliver the sustainable change to social care that people urgently need.
“This is a significant step that will strengthen the rights of people living in care homes, support unpaid carers and social workers and improve experiences for the many people who access social care across Scotland.”
