National Care Service: Calls for Scottish ministers to scrap care plans as rollout delayed by three years

​Ministers have been urged to scrap one of Nicola Sturgeon's flagship policies altogether after it was revealed the rollout of Scotland’s National Care Service (NCS) had been pushed back by three years.

Social care minister Maree Todd yesterday used a lengthy 156-page document to outline revised figures, which showed the NCS could cost £2.2 billion to deliver.

The service was expected to cost between £644 million and £1.26bn.

But the Government said significant amendments were aimed at saving taxpayers £1.2bn overall, as it was revealed the costs had been "re-phased" across a ten-year period, taking funding into the next parliamentary session, to 2031/32.

The National Care Service was expected to cost between £644 million and £1.26 billion

Liz Smith, shadow Cabinet secretary for finance and local government, said it was time for the SNP to ditch its “unaffordable, centralised National Care Service”.

"The fact that the already eye-watering estimates have had to be revised so steeply upwards should signal its demise,” she said. “The details of how the NCS would function are shockingly vague and sketchy, so even these breathtaking new costings are little more than guesswork.

“The SNP need to cut the taxpayer’s losses now and divert all available resources for councils to meet local social care needs in their area.”

Scottish Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "These proposals don't need to be delayed, they need to be ditched. The Scottish Government have completely failed to explain how these plans would make care staff or service users better off.”

The updated financial memorandum sent to Holyrood's finance committee showed the total cost could rise to between £880m and £2.2bn.

But costs could drop to between £631m and £916m in the first ten years if MSPs agree "significant" changes to the Bill at stage two, including the removal of "power grab" plans that saw the responsibility of social care essentially removed from local government.

The cost of the original plans, which would have seen 75,000 social care staff transferred to central government, is estimated to save £96m-£270m.

Ministers also proposed to abandon plans to establish 31 regional care boards, instead committing to exploring the reformation of "current local structures".

The third "substantial" change proposed to develop a national board to manage the shared accountability process.

In her letter to the Holyrood committee, Ms Todd said ministers previously committed to delivering the social care overhaul by the end of the parliamentary term in 2026.

However, she said financial constraints, as well as prolonged parliamentary scrutiny, would see the full launch date pushed back.

"The most significant change is driven by the movement as to when NCS local care boards will go live," she said.

"The go live date has been moved to 2028/29 from the original estimate of 2025/26."

The changes come after the original plans evoked concern from local government body Cosla and trade unions, with ministers delaying a stage one vote earlier this year to allow for "compromise".

Scottish Labour deputy leader and health spokesperson Dame Jackie Baillie said: "From the very get go, the proposals for a National Care Service have been mired in chaos and delay. The SNP have wasted millions of pounds in public money on its flawed National Care Service Bill, while delayed discharge has reached record levels, as thousands of Scots struggling to access care packages and the workforce crisis in social care gets worse.

"Scottish Labour will continue to call for social care to be supported and social care workers to get the fair pay they deserve.“

Sara Redmond, chief officer of Development, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, cautiously welcomed some of the proposed changes, but added: “We and our members still have many unanswered questions and concerns about how the NCS will improve the social care support people receive in practice.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The responses issued to the Health, Social, Care & Sport Committee on December 6 and the Finance and Public Administration Committee on December 11 set out the Scottish Government’s intention and projected costs of reform.

“Should the Parliament accept the Scottish Government proposed changes at Stage 2, the overall cost of reform would be significantly less.

“This is the biggest public service reform in Scotland since devolution.

“It is important we take the time necessary to ensure the national care service delivers the positive change needed for people and makes best use of public funds.”