John Swinney signals SNP will water down National Care Service to find 'common ground'

SNP ministers are expected to signal their intent to water down their national care service plans after failing to secure enough backing in Holyrood for the overhaul.

John Swinney has signalled the Scottish Government is set to water down the National Care Service after the plans were scuppered by a lack of support at Holyrood.

In November, SNP social care minister Maree Todd was forced to “pause” the National Care Service plans after failing to gain the backing of opposition MSPs needed for the legislation to pass.

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First Minister John Swinney (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)First Minister John Swinney (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
First Minister John Swinney (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Council umbrella body Cosla and trade unions had also withdrawn their support for the policy, sparking an angry backlash against the local government body by Ms Todd.

Under the plans, social care services would be centralised to eradicate an apparent postcode lottery for levels of social care across Scotland. But concerns had been raised by Cosla over a lack of local accountability and responsibility - as well as various other fears, including the costs and jobs.

More than £28 million has already been spent on the policy - one of the boldest public service reforms of the SNP’s 17 years in power, with the scheme forming a key policy of Nicola Sturgeon’s administration. In 2021, Ms Sturgeon branded the National Care Service the "most ambitious reform since devolution”.

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Ahead of a ministerial statement from SNP ministers at Holyrood on Thursday on the service’s future, Mr Swinney has signalled the policy is poised to be watered down in order to win enough support from MSPs to proceed.

Speaking in Glasgow on Wednesday, the First Minister said there was a "very broad remit" across the political divide at Holyrood as well as within local authorities and the NHS that "we need to improve the outcomes that are achieved in social care".

He added: "The outcomes are not good enough as they currently stand. There's a consensus about what we're trying to achieve, but not, particularly at the present moment, a consensus about how we get there."

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Mr Swinney said his minority government meant he had to "recognise I will not get everything my own way" and will "have to work with others to find common ground".

"That's the approach that we'll be taking on the National Care Service,” he said.

It is understood the Scottish Greens, who withdrew their support for the service plans at their party conference in October, would not support the governance proposals that would essentially transfer social care services from local authorities to a new national body.

At the Greens’ party conference in Greenock, the agreed motion to halt support branded the policy "not fit for purpose", warning the plans would "take away local accountability of social care and leave that in the hands of Scottish ministers".

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The amended plans could proceed through Holyrood if SNP ministers were able to win the support of the Greens. A Green source told The Scotsman “we want to save the tangible improvements for people” such as “short breaks for carers”.

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