Draft legislation to establish a NCS for Scotland has been published this week. The National Care Service Bill will make Scottish Ministers accountable for adult social care in Scotland. The Bill allows Scottish Ministers to transfer social care responsibility from local authorities and to transfer healthcare functions from the NHS to the NCS.
Commenting on the publication of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, Eileen McKenna, RCN Scotland Associate Director for Nursing, Policy and Professional Practice said: “Much of the detail about how this reform will work in practice is to be co-designed and the nursing contribution to social care must be recognised in this work. This is vital for ensuring that those using services receive care that is high quality, safe and appropriate for their needs.
“For any social care reform to be effective, the Scottish Government must urgently address workforce shortages and deliver fair pay for nursing staff working in all settings. Social care reform is an opportunity to ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, where they are needed. The implementation of Scotland’s safe staffing legislation must form a key part of the reform process, to ensure that Scotland’s care homes can safely deliver care to residents with increasingly complex health needs, both now and in the future.”