Work on National Care Service by civil servants has cost almost £7m

The cost of civil service work on the National Care Service (NCS) is almost £7 million, figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show.

A freedom of information request from the party revealed there are now 166 civil servants working on the new service, up from 40 in February 2022.

The Scottish Government wants to create a new, national, social care service, though some groups in the sector say work should be paused.

Since August 2021, about £6,993,000 has been spent on civil servants working on the NCS.

The Tories have called on ministers to abandon their plans for the NCS.

MSP Craig Hoy said: “These eye-watering figures reveal the already-huge cost implications of (First Minister Humza Yousaf’s) proposals, not to mention the use of valuable civil service resources.

“As health secretary, Humza Yousaf was an architect of this misguided policy – which has been opposed by virtually every stakeholder, including SNP MSPs. But it’s time for him to swallow his pride and ditch it now.

“These plans are unworkable and it is clear from these statistics that this project is already costing a fortune.

“Social care is in crisis in Scotland but the last thing we need is this bureaucratic nightmare, which will only divert scarce funds away from frontline care services.”

Mr Hoy continued: “Kicking the NCS into the long grass, by merely delaying it, won’t cut it. Humza Yousaf must admit he got it wrong and stop pouring good money after bad.

“He should instead pass this funding on to Scotland’s councils, which are far better placed than SNP ministers to determine local care needs in their areas.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Our plan for a National Care Service will deliver consistency and quality of care.

“Health and Social Care Partnerships received an additional £528 million for 2022-23 to improve care and increase staff pay and we are working with those who access and provide care to design how the NCS will work.

“The First Minister met with the Cosla President, councillor Shona Morrison, last week to agree a new deal which provides greater flexibility over local funding and clear accountability for delivering shared priorities.

“Despite UK Government cuts, we have protected councils in the most challenging budget since devolution to provide nearly £13.5 billion in the 2023-24 Local Government Settlement – a cash increase of over £793 million or 6.3%, which is a real terms increase of £376 million or 3%.”