National Care Service
The Scottish Government is improving community health and social care support in Scotland.
Vision for the National Care Service
We want everyone to have access to consistently high-quality social care support across Scotland, whenever they might need it.
Watch a short video about what improvements people would like to see.
We also want our social care workforce to flourish. Our goal is to future-proof the social care sector for generations to come - and for people coming into the profession.
That is why we’re introducing the National Care Service (NCS). It is being shaped by people who have experience of accessing and delivering social care support.
Watch a video about our vision for the National Care Service.
National Care Service forums
People and local communities are at the heart of our planning for a new National Care Service.
We’re hosting a series of in-person and online forums as part of the development of the National Care Service.
On 30 October 2023, we’ll be hosting our annual national forum in Glasgow.
You can find out more and sign up on Eventbrite.
If you need help to sign up to an event, or if you have accessibility requirements please phone or email us. This could include:
- seating for wheelchair users
- documents in large font or in another language
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation
- easy read materials
- help with planning your travel and accommodation
- help with expenses related to attending the event
- dietary requirements
Email: NCSCommunications@gov.scot
Phone: 0808 196 1507
The helpline is open:
- Tuesday 9am to 12pm
- Thursday 1pm to 4pm
National Care Service summer forums 2023
During the summer of 2023, we held a series of regional events across different communities in Scotland. These were part of our work to design the new National Care Service with those who receive or deliver social care, social work and community healthcare support.
We have published six reports from the National Care Service summer 2023 forums, summarising what we heard from people and what we will do next.
Co-designing with the people of Scotland
Co-design means working together to understand, explore, and agree how the National Care Service should work.
As we continue to co-design the National Care Service, we’re committed to listening to the voices of experts.
These are people with experience of social care services, including:
- people who access social care support
- their family and support network
- unpaid carers
- the workforce
- organisations and people who deliver social care support
- third sector organisations
- people who have received or been involved in delivering social care support in the past
Find out more about the National Care Service: Co-design Paper.
There are also other easy read documents, which explain some of the key concepts around the National Care Service and how it will work.
Get involved in co-designing the National Care Service
Read more
- National Care Service: statement of benefits
- National Care Service - collection
- Impact Assessments for the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill
- A National Care Service for Scotland Consultation – We Asked You Said We Did
- Policy Memorandum, Financial Memorandum, and other related documents on parliament.scot
- National Care Service evidence papers