Scottish Labour conference: Call for national care service

• Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said the new care service would deliver national standards of care and end the postcode lottery of care provision. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA Wire

The creation of the service would see the merger of health and social care into one organisation dedicated to ensuring a consistent approach to caring for the elderly across Scotland.

According to Jackie Baillie, Labour's health spokeswoman, the new service would "revolutionise" treatment of the elderly by using support in the community to prevent the development of more serious illnesses that require hospital treatment.

"It is about spending early to save much greater costs in the future," Baillie said yesterday.

The organisation would also end the "indignity" of 15-minute care visits.

More: Labour in Oban

• Labour plan public sector shake-up

• Eddie Barnes: 'Labour will be buoyed by Gray's performance, his best moment as leader'

• Kenny Farquharson: Game on as Iain Gray steps up to the plate

• SNP hits at wish-list costs

• Leader: Thinking big

The National Care Service would not be a "stand-alone agency" but would become part of the NHS, working with existing community health partnerships.

Labour claims the new organisation would be "cost neutral" over the next parliament, with the money being found from existing local authority and NHS budgets.

Baillie said around 4 billion is currently devoted to care by Scotland's 32 local authorities.

According to Baillie, too many local authorities and community health partnerships "pass the buck" on budgets, which affects the care given in those areas.

She said the National Care Service would end the inequalities that see couples with learning disabilities receive 30 per week in some parts of the country and 300 in others.

Baillie said: "Older people tell us they want to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. We know that with the right support at the right time we can prevent older people from becoming unwell and being admitted to hospital."

Labour remains committed to free personal care for the elderly, a policy introduced when Henry McLeish was first minister.

The new approach aims to ensure that the expensive policy, which cost 353 million in 2008-9, is continued while the size of Scotland's elderly population increases exponentially.

GPs and nurses in NHS primary care would share resources with social work departments.

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: "People still get caught too often in the crossfire between the NHS and councils. And far too often we expect the most vulnerable of our citizens at the most difficult time in their lives to negotiate a maze of benefit, health and social care bureaucracies just to get the care everyone knows they need.

"The time has come for Scotland to create an integrated care service to stand alongside the National Health Service.This is about delivering national standards of care and an end to the postcode lottery."

Sir John Arbuthnott, the former principal of Strathclyde University and an expert in health spending, has agreed to chair an expert panel which will to advise on the creation of the new service.

David Manion, chief executive of Age Scotland, has also agreed to serve on the panel, along with Councillor Harry McGuigan, leader of North Lanarkshire Council.

But the need for a new organisation was questioned by Pat Watters, chief executive of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

"I'm unaware of it," Watters said. "We will need to see the detail about it.

"Our view would be that we have said that elderly care needs better co-ordination but I don't think we need a quango to do it.

"Social care is something that councils do particularly well. If you look at this, councils do it perfectly well. It has not been councils that have had problems, but the private sector.

"Elderly care is something that councils do very well and people value their service."