National Care Service fiasco adds to long list of abject SNP failures in government
The SNP is facing massive opposition to its plans to create a National Care Service at a cost of £2.2 billion
When plans to create a ‘National Care Service’ were announced in 2021 by the then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, it was billed as the “most significant public service reform” since the establishment of the NHS. Three years and £28.7 million later, the whole idea is teetering on the brink of collapse.
While the Scottish Government revealed it was once again delaying the controversial plans, both John Swinney and Health Secretary Neil Gray – who apologised yesterday for giving “the impression of acting more as a fan and less as a minister” after attending football games in a chauffeur-driven ministerial car – insisted the policy had not been abandoned.
However, as a minority government facing opposition from the other parties at Holyrood, it seems unlikely the service – estimated to cost some £2.2 billion – will go ahead, particularly as local councils and trade unions, among others, have also come out against it.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: “If this is the death knell of this centralising ministerial takeover of social care, I am glad... the SNP has wasted £30m on a bureaucratic power grab that attracted clear opposition from every quarter. That money is the equivalent of the annual salary of 1,200 care workers.”
It now seems likely that the National Care Service will soon be added to the Scottish Government policies that have failed to deliver: dualling the A9, closing the educational attainment gap, highly protected marine areas, the deposit return recycling scheme, carbon emission targets, gender reform... the list goes on. Whether or not these were good or bad policies, the regularity with which SNP promises crumble to dust is deeply concerning.
What is the point of a government that cannot pass its own legislation? No wonder they started churning out independence papers – it’s much easier to act like a campaign group than run a country.
It may be that the delay to the care service plans is a sign of greater pragmatism under John Swinney and his deputy Kate Forbes. That would be a most welcome change. Government by incompetent dreamers can only end badly.
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