Scots’ council chiefs blast ‘incompetent’ care plans

Scottish council chiefs have condemned plans to shake-up adult community care as ‘simply incompetent’.

The Scottish public health minister, Shona Robison, published proposals last week to integrate health and adult social care, with 38,500 council staff being transferred over to health boards.

But COSLA president, Pat Watters, said Ms Robison had obviously decided that the Government’s partnership with councils was over, and that she ‘clearly has both eyes on her quest for re-election in May’.

‘If this announcement is designed to be a serious contribution to the debate on older people’s care or public sector reform, this is simply incompetent,’ said Mr Watters.
Old man having his B.P checked at a hospital Unhealthy: COSLA’s president says the proposals are ‘ill thought through’

‘Like all ill-thought through, single-issue reform processes, this proposal fails to take into account how older people’s healthcare will be linked to all the other services currently run by councils, which keep older people healthy – not least effective social housing.’

Under the plans, local authorities and health boards would work under a lead commissioning model by contracting services from one another.

‘We want to see health and social care for adults delivered in an integrated way by NHS and council social work staff working together to give a seamless service,’ said Ms Robison.

‘Evidence from partnerships in England shows more older people can get quicker care packages, cuts in delayed discharges, reduced length of stay in acute hospitals, and fewer unplanned emergency admissions to hospital,’ she added. Lord Sutherland, who carried out the Scottish Government’s review of free personal care in 2008, backed the plans.

He said the proposals would avoid the need for wholesale reorganisation, and would be the quickest way of creating an integrated care system.

‘The time for talking is over,’ said Lord Sutherland.

‘It is now time just to get on with the job.’