Exclusive:National Care Service: International attempts to create a centralised care service have been unsuccessful, new study claims

International attempts to create a centralised care service have been unsuccessful, a new study claims, leading to fresh calls for the Scottish Government to scrap its controversial National Care Service plans.

Academics have found that attempts to create a centralised children’s care service in other countries have largely been unsuccessful, leading to renewed calls for the Scottish Government to scrap its controversial National Care Service (NCS) reforms.

A Scotland-based research study, undertaken by the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS), based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, looked at social care programmes in Finland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

According to the report’s authors, CELCIS “was asked by the Scottish Government to carry out this research study, with the aim of gathering evidence to inform decision-making about how best to deliver children's services in Scotland in light of the proposed introduction of the National Care Service”.

The Scottish Government’s plans for the NCS would involve social care responsibility transferring from being managed by local authorities to a new, national service, overseen by ministers.

This study found none of the countries researched had successfully attempted to create a national adult and children’s social care agency.

The report reads: “Across the five health and social care case study examples [Finland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland], there was no evidence of a move to forming a dedicated national adult and children’s social care agency or service.”

The study also found attempts to centralise children’s social care in the Republic of Ireland and Finland were both unsuccessful.

The report reads: “In the Republic of Ireland, Tusla [the central state child and family agency] took on educational welfare services, but this is understood to have been an uneasy relationship and indeed governance of these services has now transferred to the Department of Education.”

The report claims Finnish attempts at centralisation have also been unsuccessful.

The document said: “In Finland, where connections between education, health and social care were previously very strong, the [health and social care] reforms have disrupted these working relationships with health and social care now managed at a regional level and education remaining at the local municipality level.”

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher said: “This research exposes the huge holes in the SNP’s plans for a National Care Service, and the dangers it poses to the most vulnerable Scots.

“When this shambolic scheme was drawn up while Humza Yousaf was health secretary, it was roundly condemned by almost every stakeholder and expert, and the Scottish Government committees that looked at it concluded it was half-baked, unevidenced and unfit for purpose.

“Yet despite condemnation from all sides, and having had to postpone it, the First Minister still intends to press ahead with his disastrous attempt to seize control of social care.

“Persisting with this ill-conceived scheme will divert millions of pounds of funding from the vulnerable and local communities. This damning study shows that it should be dropped at once, and that badly needed resources should be focused instead on frontline services.”

The Scottish Government’s NCS proposals have faced repeated setbacks in the wake of stinging criticism from industry experts and opposition parties, particularly relating to the speed of the proposed changes and a perceived lack of detail in the plans.

The SNP promised to introduce the NCS as part of its 2021 election campaign, and in June last year brought forward The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.

However, in October last year, Audit Scotland found the Scottish Government had “significantly understated” the cost of the NCS. In particular, Audit Scotland has highlighted issues with pensions, VAT changes, changes to capital investment costs and health board transition costs, which could lead to the overall budget skyrocketing.

Scottish Parliament researchers estimated the cost of the NCS to be between £664 million and £1.261m over the five-year period between 2022/23 and 2026/27.

The Bill has since been delayed. Social care minister Maree Todd said this decision was to allow for "compromise" to be reached with the NCS’s critics.

"This Government remains committed to delivering a National Care Service to improve quality, fairness and consistency of provision that meets individuals' needs,” Ms Todd said in April.

"The scale of this ambition will require the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to progress in order to ensure sustainable social care services moving forward.

"We wish to use the time ahead of the stage one debate to find compromise and reach consensus with those who have raised concerns during the stage one scrutiny undertaken so far."