Social care agency spend jumps by 70% in four years

Councils’ spend on social care agency staff has increased by almost 70% in four years, new figures show.

Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish Tories revealed a spend of just over £19 million in 2017-18 to just over £32.4 million in 2021-22 – an increase of 69.8%.

Over the past four full years, the figures show, total agency spend amounted to almost £130 million.

Scottish Tory social care spokesman Craig Hoy has urged the Scottish Government to abandon its plans for a centralised National Care Service, accusing ministers of “presiding over a social care crisis”.

“Their savage funding cuts – exacerbated by John Swinney’s budget earlier this month – have crippled local councils, and now the SNP plan to impose total ministerial control, via a National Care Service,” he said.

“This will be a disaster for social care in Scotland.

“These staggering figures highlight the huge problem the industry has with recruitment and retention of staff, which has led to this increasing reliance on agency staff. And stakeholders are clear that a National Care Service will do nothing to address these issues.

“The last thing we need right now is an administrative overhaul of the system, which would only result in precious resources being taken from the frontline to employ hundreds more management staff.

“The SNP’s own estimates show that establishing a National Care Service could cost an eye-watering £1.3 billion.

“The Scottish Conservatives continue to oppose the SNP’s irresponsible and expensive plans, and would instead establish a Local Care Service as an effective alternative.

“We want every penny poured into local care provision, which would be far more responsive than a costly, centralised bureaucracy.

“We urge the SNP to abandon this reckless, unaffordable policy before even more money is drained away from the frontline.”

But social care minister Kevin Stewart said there will “always be a need” for temporary staff in the social care system.

“We have funded two pay rises in the last year to improve recruitment and retention in social care and are leading the way increasing minimum hourly pay rates for adult social care workers,” he added.

“The recovery of our NHS from the pandemic relies on us making our social care services sustainable.

“We are working with providers and partners to support these vital services as we design the model for the new National Care Service together, so we can be sure to put fair work at its heart, giving workers more say and helping the Scottish Government design how it will work.”