Seòmar agus comataidhean

We have covered a lot of ground. It is particularly helpful in the context of the bill to understand that there is not really an indefinite notification period with the reviews and the appeal.

How do local authorities balance expectations against the reality that you are facing?

You spoke about the importance of service users knowing their rights. Would you be confident that all the services and employees across health and social care partnerships understand the rights that people have to their services and what the levels are? You spoke earlier about criteria.

What are local authorities doing to ensure that complaints and feedback are learned from and are helping to improve services?

Is there enough clarity in the bill on how a complaints process might work for service users and on which bodies would be accountable for what decisions?

Before I come back to the complaints aspect, I will put the previous question to Rob Gowans.

Thank you. That is helpful.

No, it was helpful.

I accept Carers Scotland’s premise about not conflating rights with responsibilities. That is a really important point. The submission also talks about a complaints system. That is key where people’s rights are not being realised. What can they do about it?

Fiona Collie, will you talk more about the complaints side of things?

Good morning to the witnesses. Thank you for being with us. I would like to ask questions about the care service principles and charter. All of us will have experience of how challenging it is for people to navigate social work complaints processes. The committee has heard in evidence that, to all intents and purposes, local authorities are marking their own homework in this regard, meaning that people have nowhere to go if their care package is cut or if they are assessed for a certain level of package but then do not get that. How should the process be improved?

Good morning. I have a couple of questions to hear your reflections on the charter of rights. First, what reassurance does the draft charter provide that people who use care and support services will be fully supported to lead the independent lives that they are entitled to lead?