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Update - developing a National Care Service

Letter from Minster Kevin Stewart providing an update on plans for a national care service, 3 November 2021

Dear Gillian,

 

I am writing to update the Committee on plans to take forward the next stage of the work on developing the National Care Service (NCS). As the committee will know, the consultation period ends today and we have had significant input from a wide range of individuals and stakeholders. I am delighted that so many people have contributed and given us their views.

In line with standard Scottish Government practice to commission independent analysis of consultation responses for large consultations, a procurement exercise has been undertaken. The evaluation and contract award processes will complete shortly. I have asked my officials to make your Committee Clerk aware of the outcome as soon as it is finalised.

The consultation contributions will be analysed and I expect to be able to give a full account of the outcomes in January 2022. This will allow us to make progress with the proposed legislation, in line with the commitments made in Programme for Government.

We are all agreed that urgent action is required to resolve the issues outlined in the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, and for that reason the timeline for introduction of the Bill to Parliament is relatively short.

This means that we will be working with people and partners to develop plans for the NCS, whilst drafting of the Bill is underway. To do this we plan to undertake ongoing engagement over the course of the next 18 months, in particular with people with lived and living experience of community health and social care. Further information on the format of that engagement will be made available once we have a clearer understanding of the results of the consultation.

In line with the good practice demonstrated in the development of our approach to delivery of Social Security in Scotland, we will apply the principles of the Scottish Approach to Service Design to the development of the National Care Service (The Scottish Approach to Service Design (SAtSD) - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)). This will ensure that people, and human rights, are at the heart of our approach. We are clear that the NCS must be developed for our people and with our people. The recent work completed by PwC to create plans for a ‘Design Authority’ will support the governance processes and ensure that this is firmly embedded in our work.

In line with standard practice, associated contract award notices are published on the Public Contracts Scotland website. Home - Public Contracts Scotland

To further support the development of such a large scale change, we also have a number of other requirements to satisfy for good governance and audit purposes. For that reason, I also want to advise the Committee of the publication of a further procurement exercise under the Management Consultancy Framework. This seeks bids for the development of a Target Operating Model for an NCS, delivery of a Programme Business Case, and input to and verification of Current Operating Models for Social Care. These will provide a baseline and framework on which we will build the new system through the co-design approach outlined above.

The Management Consultancy Framework recognises the occasional need for this type of specialist service. The Framework provides access to a range of skill sets and levels and areas of specialism drawn from a team of resources as opposed to reliance on single individuals. This is standard practice in the progress of any such large scale change and provides and independent assessment of the planned change.

I will update the Committee once the successful bidder has been selected.

I am clear that we have a duty to co-design a new system for social care with people who access care and support and, with the social care workforce. I established the Social Covenant Steering Group, whose membership comprises people with lived and living experience, as one way to ensure that the design of the National Care Service systems are person centred, with a focus on the care people need to receive. For that reason I have a member of the Social Covenant Steering Group, and Ian Welsh OBE from the Alliance, an organisation which represents a wide range of lived and living experience, to participate in the evaluation panel for this, most recent, procurement exercise.

I hope that the Committee finds this update helpful.

Kevin Stewart

Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care