More than £28m spent on National Care Service work

More than £28 million has been spent on work to create the National Care Service (NCS), new figures show just days after councils pulled their support.

The Scottish Government confirmed in a written answer to Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy that £28,730,224 had been “spent on work related to the NCS”.

It comes amid pressure from opposition parties for the Government to either scrap or pause the Bill which is currently going through parliament.

The project – which would centralise adult social care and social work into a single body ultimately accountable to ministers – has been beset by delays and uncertainty over costs since it was announced by the Scottish Government.

Criticism has also been levelled at the use of a framework Bill, with the specifics of the service to be put in place by ministers after the legislation is passed.

But on Friday, local authority body Cosla dealt perhaps the biggest blow to the NCS when it announced leaders were pulling support.

Speaking in Holyrood on Tuesday, Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was disappointed with the decision, but did not bow to pressure to pause the Bill or scrap it altogether and pledged to work with individual councils.

“It is disappointing that Cosla has taken this step,” he said.

“We have worked extensively with them on their concerns for almost two years and made a series of changes, substantial changes, at their request.

“Uppermost in our minds and I am sure in theirs is the need of the people who rely on care services.”

The Health Secretary added: “In that spirit we will continue to work with individual councils and, where they are willing, Cosla on those matters, as well as colleagues across the chamber.”

Responding to the Health Secretary’s statement, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “The substance of the Bill is to create another quango, which is not expected to be established until 2028 or 2029.

“It does nothing to improve social care just now.”

While Scottish Tory deputy health spokeswoman Tess White said taxpayers would be “astonished” that £28 million has been spent on the NCS to date.

“Enough is enough, the nationalists need to pull the plug on their unaffordable, centralised power grab which no-one supports, before a further penny of scarce resources is wasted,” she said.

“It’s just common sense that every penny allocated to this flawed bill should be given to cash-strapped councils, who understand local care needs far better than SNP bureaucrats in Edinburgh.”

The news comes as figures published on Tuesday showed a drop in the number of care homes and registered places, along with a record number of people stuck in hospital despite being well enough to leave.

The Scottish Government’s care home census showed almost one fifth of facilities had closed in the past decade, while the number of places dropped by 6%.

The average number of delayed discharges, according to Public Health Scotland, also hit the highest on record in August at 2,000.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “These statistics provide more evidence that the social care system in Scotland needs fundamental reform.

“That is why it is essential we establish a National Care Service that will improve people’s lives and quality of care, while ensuring those who deliver vital services feel supported.

“There are more than 40,000 registered care home places in Scotland and occupancy rates remain the same as last year but we are committed to delivering a National Care Service we can all be proud of.”