National Care Service - independent advocacy: co-design insights and next steps – easy read

What is next for the National Care Service

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the National Care Service.

It will make social care support better, fairer, and more consistent in Scotland.

We are already working to make social care better now.

The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill has now became an Act of the Scottish Parliament.

An Act is a law passed by Scottish Parliament.

We will continue to collaborate with people to develop the National Care Service.

We will continue to work to make social care better. This includes:

• improving how the Carers and Dementia Strategies are being used now

• working to make sure Getting It Right for Everyone (GIRFE) approach puts the needs of people first

GIRFE is a new way to provide health and social care support to people from young adulthood to the end of life.

• working to lower the number of people in Delayed Discharge

Delayed Discharge is about people who are stuck in hospital when they are ready to leave.

• working to support the Drugs Mission

The Drugs Mission is about supporting people affected by drugs.

• making the working conditions better for our valued staff

• making social care support work a more appealing career

• getting more skilled people to work in social care

We will do more work with people from groups that have not been included much in our work so far.

The interim Advisory Board is set up and had its first meeting in May 2025.

The interim Advisory Board is a group of people who will work together until the final Advisory Board is set up.

The interim Advisory Board will:

• decide how to do their work

• give advice on who the members of the final Advisory Board should be and how they should work together.

• give advice to ministers on how to make health and social care work better together.