Are you in charge of your care, asks committee?

Scots receiving health and social care are among those being urged to make their views known to the Health and Sport Committee today as the committee launches its call for evidence on the Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill aims to integrate health and social care more closely and offer the estimated 200,000 adults and 16,000 children who currently receive care on everything from nursing and meals at home to assisting children with autism, more individual choice and control over their care package.

The committee will scrutinise whether the Bill will actually allow people to have the support they want, when they want it and where they want it. The Bill also places a duty on local authorities to offer four options to individuals on the organisation and payment of their care package.

Committee Convener Duncan McNeil MSP said: “We are keen to hear from the thousands of adults and children who receive social care and support and who will be directly affected by this Bill on whether they believe it will improve the quality of their lives.

“Do they like the idea of a local authority paying money into their personal bank account that can be used to buy their own support? Do they agree that a 16 year old child is able to choose and manage their own support, including financial payments? We encourage everyone who will be affected by the Bill to make their views known.”

Among the questions the Health and Sport Committee are asking people to respond to are:

•     Are you in favour of the Bill and its provisions?
•     What are your views on the four options for self-directed support proposed in the Bill?
•     Are you satisfied that the method for modernising direct payments in the Bill will result in the change that the Government is looking for?

Further information on the call for views can be found within the Health and Sport Committee pages.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/48017.aspx

Background

The Social Care (Self-Directed Support) (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 29 February 2012. The Health and Sport Committee’s call for evidence asks that all submissions on the Bill should be made to the clerk before 24 April.