THE Scottish government has ditched its flagship National Care Service (NCS) proposals after sustained opposition from trade unions and councils.

Plans for the service were announced in 2021 by then first minister Nicola Sturgeon as the biggest shake-up to care since the formation of the NHS in 1948, but broad support for the principle swiftly began to melt away when the Bill was first published a year later. 

Social care unions such as Unison raised concerns that it failed to tackle unmet need, enshrined and elevated the role of the profit motive in the care system, failed to deliver sectoral collective bargaining, and — alongside local government — expressed deep reservations at decision-making being removed from councils to be placed in the hands of the unelected board of a national quango.

When their combined attempts to have the plan rewritten were rebuffed by the Scottish National Party administration, all social care unions, Cosla and the Scottish TUC formally withdrew support for the Bill in October 2024.

Three months on, social care minister Maree Todd told MSPs their NCS “proposals are not supported by this chamber” and lie dead in the water.

The Bill will progress with provisions improving rights of carers and the looked after, while a new advisory board aimed at raising standards in the sector would meet in March to “hold the Scottish government and all other partners to account for the improvement that is needed” in the sector.

Scottish Labour’s Dame Jackie Baillie branded the four-year process “a waste of time and money,” adding: “Whilst I welcome the remaining provisions, the National Care Service is no more.

“Not a single penny of the £30 million has been spent on care packages.

“That money would have delivered a million extra hours of care.”

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “With over £30m spent on developing a National Care Service that lacked vision, left service provision at the mercy of profiteers and [didn’t address] low pay and poor conditions in the sector, it’s little wonder that workers lost faith in the government’s plans.

“If Scottish government is heading back to the drawing board, we would suggest it starts with improving care workers’ pay and conditions, which will help alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis and in turn, ensure those in need of support receive the quality and consistency of care they deserve.”