National Care Service: consultation analysis - easy read

Part 2 – What you told us about how the National Care Service should be organised

Community Health and Social Care Boards

This part looks at people's answers about turning the Integration Joint Boards into Community Health and Social Care Boards.

Who would be in charge

Most people thought that the new Community Health and Social Care Boards should be:

• in charge of community health and social care in Scotland
• in each Local Authority area

Some people thought that this would mean:

• the same care across Scotland
• a fairer way of getting access to these services

Some people said that:

• local decisions might not be made
• this 1 way might not suit everyone everywhere

Members of Community Health and Social Care Boards

People thought there should be different types of members, like:

• people with lived experience
• care workers
• family of people in care homes

People also thought that all members:

• need to be fully included
• should get help to join in if they need it

Nearly everyone thought that all the members should be able to vote at meetings.

Community Health and Social Care Boards being employers

Most people thought that the Boards should employ their own:

• Chief Officers
• planning staff

Some people said there should be a change in who is in charge from the old system.

Planning and buying services

This part looks at people's answers about how the National Care Service can choose which services are needed and put them in place.

This means finding fair ways to help local areas to make these things better:

• fairer access for people to services and information
• how good things are
• putting the person at the centre of their care

New Plans

Most people thought that the National Care Service should make a set of plans called a Structure of Standards and Processes.

This means looking at:

• how well the jobs are done
• how the jobs are done

Most people thought that this would help give services which let people live the lives they wanted.

Some people thought that local needs should be a part of this, as well as national needs.

Finding out what people think

Most people thought that the National Care Service should:

• be in charge of doing research in the health and social care market
• share what they find out with other organisations

This would mean that care services would be:

• fairer for people and care workers
• less likely to go wrong

Some people made comments about:

• needing research to be done by an independent organisation that is not the National Care Service
• thinking about local area needs

Services

Most people agreed that the National Care Service should plan and buy care services for people who have more complicated needs.

This means care for people who:

• have very complicated needs
• need specialist care
• are in prison

Most people who answered this question thought that it would make people's lives better.

Some people made comments about:

• the system not working well at the moment
• people should get the same help wherever they are
• needing to keep local knowledge
• needing to be clear about who will pay for these new changes

Regulation

In this document regulation means a set of rules and standards.

This part looks at people's answers about how the new National Care Service would organise rules and standards.

10 regulation Principles have been suggested.

To see the 10 Principles you can click A National Care Service for Scotland consultation: easy read - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Most people agreed with the 10 Principles.

Some people said that:

• there should not be too much regulation for service providers to deal with
• there should be a fair amount of regulation

The Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission said there should be clear wording about human rights in the Principles.

Many comments said that the Principles should be:

• clear
• in Plain English
• agreed by people with lived experience

Lots of people also wanted the regulator to have extra powers to:

• tell services to fix things
• cancel services when they are not good enough.

Most people who answered the Easy Read consultation questions thought that the Care Inspectorate powers should be stronger.

1 in every 3 of those who answered this way also thought that Care Inspectorate powers should be used more often.

Especially when something is wrong again and again.

Understanding the whole care service market

Most people who answered thought that the regulator should understand the whole care service market.

Nearly everyone thought the regulator should look at all care service providers, not just the big ones.

Some of the people who answered the Easy Read consultation questions said:

• this is important to make sure everyone is treated fairly
• they didn't think the regulator had enough understanding of the market to do this role

More regulation powers

Nearly everyone agreed that the regulator should have the power to inspect all care providers.

Most people thought that the job of the regulator would be better if:

• employers have to use stronger Codes of Practice
• stronger actions are taken after hearings

Some people commented that all care sector workers should be regulated.

This includes:

• Social Work Assistants
• Personal Assistants

Many people who answered the Easy Read consultation thought that all care workers should be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council.

Valuing people who work in social care

In this document valuing people means seeing their work and skills as being important.

Fair Work

Lots of people and organisations thought that having a Fair Work Accreditation Scheme was a good idea.

A Fair Work Accreditation Scheme asks employers to:

• offer good contracts
• give good rates of pay
• make sure that care workers get training and development

Many people said it would:

• help make people who work in social care feel valued
• make pay and conditions better

Some people said pay and terms and conditions should be fairer.

Some people said it should be fair across:

• all care sectors
• private sector
• third sector
• the National Care Service
• the National Health Service

Some people said there needed to be more funding in the whole of the workforce.

Most people agreed that there should be a national forum on workforce.

This forum would tell the National Care Service about things like:

• what needs doing now
• terms and conditions
• what most people want

The forum could include:

• workers
• employers
• Community Health and Social Care Boards

Some people commented that a national forum would:

• give the workforce a chance to be heard
• make more people want to work in social care
• keep the workforce talking and making things better

Almost all the people who answered the Easy Read consultation questions agreed that the National Care Service should do these things:

• make pay better
• make working conditions better
• offer better training and development for social care workers

Some comments said that if staff were valued more, this would help with getting more people to do the job.

Workforce Planning

Most people agreed that the National Care Service should set out the training needs for the social care workforce.

Most people thought that workforce planning should be done with the whole of Scotland in mind.

There were a mix of comments about the good and bad points of doing it this way.

Some people said that people who live:

• in the countryside
• far away from towns and cities
• far away from other people

would need to be planned for too.

Personal Assistants

Most people agreed that all Personal Assistants should have to register onto a main list.

Some people felt that this could mean:

• more paperwork for Personal Assistants
• having to pay to register

Most people thought that more support could help Personal Assistants and their employers.

They said the most helpful support would be making employers keep to national standards.

They also said that it would help to value Personal Assistants as part of the social care workforce.

Most people who answered the Easy Read consultation questions thought that a free national phone line for advice was a good idea.