National Care Service: factsheet

Improvements we are making now

Our priority is to make sure everyone in Scotland can access the support they need to thrive.

As part of this model, these are some of the initiatives we are already working on to help us bring about real improvements in people’s experience.

NCS Advisory Board

We are moving quickly to establish an Advisory Board on a non-statutory basis. The Board will think about options and provide advice  on improving delivery of:

• social care support services 

• social work services 

• community health services

The Board will support an evidence-based approach to the design and delivery of care that is based on human rights, led by the people who use services.

The Advisory Board will be made up of people with:

• experience of accessing integrated health and social care services
• people who are involved in delivering integrated health and social care services

It will work openly and collaboratively with:

• integration joint boards (IJBs)
• local authorities
• health boards
• organisations across social care, social work and community health in Scotland

The Board will consider:

• information about the needs of the social care, social work and community health  system and the people who access or need to access care
• the quality of service-planning and delivery
• how effective spending on integrated health and social care has been

The Board’s role will include:

• working with people and organisations to understand what needs to be improved and why
• exploring options for making improvements that are needed in the delivery of social care, social work and community health services
• giving Scottish Ministers, Council Leaders, IJBs and Health Boards advice about how they could:
  • make improvements
  • take a different approach where needed

Ministers, Council Leaders, IJBs and Health Boards are the people who might receive advice from the Board because they are the people with legal responsibilities and powers under existing legislation.

The Board’s role could include advising Ministers on how they could use their legal powers to:

• Publish new guidance to improve service quality   

• direct IJBs, local councils or health boards to take certain actions 

• change how the Government provides funding 

It will take some time to establish the Board. Therefore, an interim Board will be established at first. 

During this time, a fair and open appointments process will recruit an independent chair and individual members for the full Board to continue the work of the interim Board. The full Board will also include some members who have been nominated by organisations involved in the delivery of integrated health and social care services.

All Board members will be responsible for making sure that people with experience of integrated health and social care services inform the Board’s work.

Further investment

At a time where we are facing significant financial challenges, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment in social care, providing:  

• £5.9m of additional investment into the Care Inspectorate
• a further £13.4m to support growth in the Independent Living Fund (ILF)
• over £88m a year in local carer support through council Carers Act funding   
• £8m a year for voluntary sector short breaks, including £3.5m via local carer centres - our budget will increase this to £13m for 2025-26

Our social care and community health services must have a high standard of workforce planning and staff learning, development and leadership support. This will be a priority as the NCS continues to take shape.

We will continue to apply pressure to the UK Government to reduce the impact of the rise in employers’ National Insurance payments, and to find a solution that works for the care and health sectors.

Integration Joint Boards (IJBs)

Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), local councils and health boards will still be responsible for planning and delivery of services. They will be accountable for the performance and improvement of service delivery.  

We will support Highland Council and NHS Highland to move from the lead agency model of integration to the Integration Joint Board (IJB) model within their timescales.