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The Scottish Government is committed to developing a sustainable health and social care system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place. In support of this, the Budget provides almost £2.2 billion investment for social care and integration – delivering on our Programme for Government commitment to increase social care spending by 25% over this Parliament, two years ahead of our original target. This includes an additional £125 million to support delivery of the pay uplift to a minimum of £12.60 per hour for adult social care workers in 2025-26.

Despite this substantial funding increase, we are aware that significant challenge for social care service provision remains. We are therefore working with partners on a programme of work to understand the current financial viability picture in the social care sector. This has included engaging with local leaders through the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group, as well as Ministerial roundtables with partners.

The Scottish Government regularly meet with the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The ALLIANCE) at both official and ministerial level. Both organisations are key stakeholders who have been heavily involved in the work on the National Care Service, social care workforce and our reform and renewal programme through their membership of the Key Stakeholder Steering Group (KSSG) as well as through other regular policy engagement.

The First Minister met with the CCPS and others at a round table event on 20 May 2025 and with the ALLIANCE, the CCPS and others at an event on 16 June 2025.

The Scottish Government regularly meet with the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The ALLIANCE) at both official and ministerial level. Both organisations are key stakeholders who have been heavily involved in the work on the National Care Service, social care workforce and our reform and renewal programme through their membership of the Key Stakeholder Steering Group (KSSG) as well as through other regular policy engagement.

The most recent ministerial meeting with the CCPS was with the Minister for Public Finance, Mr Ivan McKee, who met with Rachel Cackett, CCPS CEO, on 25 August 2025.

I chaired the most recent meeting of the KSSG on 8 July 2025, which was attended by Sara Redmond, Chief Officer at the ALLIANCE.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data centrally. Complaints about care services, including care homes, are investigated by the Care Inspectorate, the independent body responsible for the scrutiny and improvement of care and social work services in Scotland.

Current procurement legislation and guidance enables multi-year contracts for social care services. Scottish Government is working with procurement professionals and providers to consider how national procurement guidance can be updated to deliver on the Feeley Review recommendations which includes consideration of longer term contracts for providers, including not for profit providers. Scottish Government does not hold contracts for delivery of social care services. Local Government are the contract holders for social care services and will make decisions on contract terms including length.

The Scottish Government recognises that access to social care services can vary significantly depending on where people live.

Through the Care Reform (Scotland) Act and the work of the NCS Advisory Board, we are taking decisive steps to end the postcode lottery and deliver care based on need, not geography.

The Care Reform (Scotland) Act introduces wide-ranging reforms that enshrine rights in law. Key measures include:

• Anne’s Law which recognises family and friends of care home residents as essential contributors to their care—not merely as visitors, but as integral members of the care team
• Introducing a statutory right to breaks for unpaid carers
• Expanding access to independent advocacy
• Improving information sharing across care settings
• Establishing a National Chief Social Work Advisor and National Social Work Agency
• Reforming procurement routes for the third sector

The interim NCS Advisory Board brings together people with lived experience of care, frontline workers, service providers, and representatives from local government and the NHS. Their role is to advise on how we build a fairer, more responsive system that puts human rights and equity at its core.

The Board will work alongside established national programmes to drive improvement and ensure that services are consistent, fair, and high-quality, regardless of where people live in Scotland.

Public Health Scotland publish Official Statistics on the number of people (aged 18 or over) experiencing a delayed discharge from hospital, including the number of people delayed at the monthly census point broken down by primary reason for delay. The latest published statistics show that on 31 July 2025, 453 people were delayed primarily due to awaiting residential place availability; a further 61 people were delayed awaiting place availability in a specialist residential facility where the facility is not currently available and no interim option is appropriate; and a further 54 people were recorded as delayed primarily due to non-availability of statutory funding for a care home place. These reasons accounted for 29% of all people delayed in hospital on 31 July.

Some people whose discharge is delayed primarily for other reasons at the census point (for example, a portion of delays awaiting a social care assessment, or delays relating to Adults With Incapacity legislation) may also require residential placements.

Management Information on the number of available care home beds is collected directly from care homes through the TURAS Care Management system. This provides an indication of care home capacity, including the number of available beds. However, there is no satisfactory source of information on the overall demand for care home places (other than by people experiencing a delayed discharge), and this prevents a full analysis of the shortage of available care home places relative to total demand.

Scottish Government officials regularly review the number of delayed discharges relating to residential place availability, in relation to the number of available care home beds. This information is regularly shared with ministers and has been periodically discussed with the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group.

The Scottish Government recognise the invaluable role of the social care workforce. Whilst not an employer, we continue to work closely with COSLA and key partners to progress joint commitments in the National Workforce Strategy and recently published Service Renewal Framework, which both support efforts to recruit and retain social care staff.

For the 2025-26 financial year, the Scottish Government will be investing £125 million to enable adult social care workers in the third and private sectors to be paid at least the Real Living Wage. This takes the estimated total investment to deliver this policy to £950 million.

The workstreams of the Joint Social Services Taskforce have achieved real change to improve the workforce experience, through supporting career opportunities and staff development, these include:

• creation of a portable national induction framework;
• development of a social care career options tool;
• publication of an earn and learn blueprint;
• agreement of the introduction and trial a new Care Technologist role; and
• publication of our Funding Landscape resource.

Additionally, we continue to provide funding for the NES Social Care Centre for Workforce Supply (CWSS), who support employers ethically and sustainably recruit international works, who play a vital role in our care sector workforce. The CWSS are working with the Home Office to engage with displaced workers in England and promote opportunities to move to social care roles in Scotland.

Collectively these actions make it easier for employers to recruit and retain staff.