How SNP budget cuts are robbing quadriplegic man of 'essential' social care
The system of health and social care partnerships in Scotland is on the verge of collapse
In 2018, the life of Charles McGarvey, an English teacher from Dumbarton, changed forever. Following an accident, he became quadriplegic, meaning he could not use his arms and legs and had to rely on support from carers.
Being paralysed in the blink of an eye was challenging enough, but in the past year the specialised teams who supported Mr McGarvey have disappeared. This autumn, he learned through word of mouth that his overnight care would be terminated.
The shake-up means that Charles now faces the prospect of lying in bed for hours in a painful position, with no one to reposition him – something his consultant has described as essential.
SNP caused this crisis
Sadly, since his accident, Mr McGarvey’s care needs haven’t changed. What has changed is the relentless drive for cost-cutting in social care. It’s a crisis that has been a long time coming – and it is one of the SNP government’s making.
It’s not a surprise that Scotland is ageing. Indeed, back in 2009, the then health and social care minister Nicola Sturgeon warned of “the dramatically changing demographics of the country”.
A decade and a half later, though, what has her party actually done? On the one hand, it has presided over the debacle of the failed National Care Service Bill, which cost £30 million, alienated the care sector and didn’t pay for a single extra carer.
On the other, it has effectively reduced the budgets of the health and social care partnerships, which were set up to co-ordinate services between local authorities and health boards, the bodies responsible for delivering the bulk of social care.
Vulnerable people paying the price
Now the system is on the verge of collapse. There is a black hole in the partnerships’ budgets of £497.5 million in this financial year, which is forcing them to make cuts.
And across Scotland, it’s the poorest and most vulnerable who are paying the price. Funding for care-at-home packages is being slashed, eligibility criteria for services is being tightened, and community hubs are being cancelled.
Meanwhile, the number of people waiting on a social care assessment is 30 per cent higher than the same time last year. What is frustrating is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Last week’s UK Budget means that Labour has delivered an additional £10.3 billion to the Scottish Government since 2024. There is a window of opportunity to get ahead of this crisis.
The Scottish Government should stop treating health and social care partnerships as piggy banks and start helping them deliver. It should implement the recommendations of the Feeley Report on social care, rather than creating expensive taskforces and quangos. And it should pay social care workers £15 an hour, because right now it’s more lucrative to stack shelves at Aldi.
Investing in social care will free up hospital beds, keep older people at home for longer and empower those with disabilities. It will strengthen families and communities, and tackle loneliness.
But really, this is a debate not just about those who need care now, but those who will in years to come. Investing in social care is about investing in our own future too.
Jackie Baillie is MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health
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