National Care Service Forum: 2022 report - easy read

National Care Service Forum 2022 Report - Easy Read

Introduction

The first National Care Service Forum was in Perth on 3 October 2022.

The National Care Service is also known as 'the NCS' for short.

There were 3 hundred people online and 3 hundred people in person.

This included:

• people with lived experience – who had experience of getting social care services
• people who work in social care services
• people interested in social care, social work and community healthcare

This report is about what people told us.

What people want the NCS to look like.

Lots of people support having a NCS.

It should give everyone in Scotland the same high quality services.

Services should be able to change to meet what local people need.

Human rights and independent living

Protecting human rights should be at the centre of the National Care Service.

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world.

The service should:

• make good decisions quickly
• listen to what people want and need
• support independent living – helping people to:
  • live the life they want
  • live the best quality life possible
  • have control
  • make their own choices

Working with other organisations

There must be:

• services that work together and are the same across Scotland
• better working together between:
  • different social care services
  • social care services and the NHS

• ways for the NCS to link up with education, housing, prisons and other services
• good ways to share information quickly
• trained staff that are well supported

A health and social care record

There should be one health and social care record of people's information that can be used by both the National Care Service and the National Health Service.

This would mean that people would not have to give their information more than once.

Early intervention

Early intervention means giving services that try to stop problems from happening.

The NCS should focus on early interventions including support for people who are lonely or who need help to connect with people or services.

Early intervention services work better and do not cost as much as giving services in a crisis.

A crisis is when someone is in great difficulty or danger.

We must also look at how to support:

• people who will always need care services
• people with conditions that could not be prevented

Eligibility and assessments

Eligibility criteria are the guidelines that help organisations make decisions about the services people can get.

Having no eligibility criteria would support ways of working that stop problems from happening.

Any eligibility criteria should be clear and be the same across Scotland.

Care at home assessments should be done in the same way across Scotland

Workforce development and training

There must be ways:

• for people who work in social care to get training and develop their career
• to work with young people in schools to show that a career in social care is a good thing

• to recognise the value of specialist skills in areas like dementia and autism
• to recognise, support and value unpaid carers and give them

more respite – time away from caring

• to get more people to work in social care services and to keep the staff we already have

Funding

The NCS must have enough money to work well in the future.

People wanted more information about what money the NCS will have.

Money should support people to have care that is right for them.

The way that services are bought and paid for should:

• be open and honest
• be able to change to meet what local people need
• link with work that is happening across Scotland

Funding should be about what people need, not about what money is available.

How we communicate and listen to people

Communication

The Scottish Government must:

• work with people in an accessible way to make sure everyone can take part
• understand what people want and need to communicate

Co-design

People are pleased that we will work to co-design services with people with lived experience of getting social care services and people who work in social care.

Co-design means everyone taking part in the way something is planned and put together has an equal level of power.

Everyone's view is important and everyone helps to make decisions.

Some people need support to design services for themselves.

It must be clear that co-design means we plan services together.

It does not always lead to involving people in making services happen.

Creating communities

We should have meetings with people in their own communities so that people with lived experience can support and learn from each other.

This would help people who find it difficult to be heard at events like the Forum.

Things that could be difficult

Dealing with things that worry people about the NCS

Some people were worried about the new system because of:

• bad news about it in the media
• because they were frightened about things changing

Taking part in the Forum gave people information so they understood the NCS better.

Accessible communication and making sure everyone can take part

Some people were worried there is not enough money or time to co-design the NCS with people.

All voices must be included - including homeless people and prisoners.

There should be laws about accessible communication.

We must think carefully about how services are moved to the NCS.

The NCS must understand and deal with things that are difficult just now.

Funding

A lot of work and funding is needed to make sure everyone in the workforce:

• feels valued and rewarded for their work
• has the right training

There must be clear information on:

• job security – how long a job will last for
• how to progress in a career
• pensions - a long-term savings plan that a person and their employer pay into each time the person gets paid

Some people felt that moving staff to the NCS might make it harder to get and keep staff.

Timing

Some people worried this was not the time to create the NCS because:

• staff, organisations and people with lived experience are tired after the pandemic
• organisations cannot take part in consultations because they are busy

A consultation is when people are asked what they think about something.

• people with lived experience may not be able to take part because of things like the increasing cost of living

Differences in working conditions

Some people felt social care should be nationalised through the NCS.

Nationalised means the service is owned by the Government.

It will be difficult to make sure all staff have the same working conditions if the service has private companies.

Pay must be the same in different areas.

Employers must be able to clearly show that they treat workers fairly.

Having flexible local services

Services must be given in the same way across Scotland but be able to change to cover what local areas need.

Making sure there are preventative services

Preventative services help to stop problems from happening.

We must look at how money could be saved by having preventative work now.

What was missing in the consultation?

There must be:

• the same rules about using public and private services and how to put them in place
• clear information about how long things will take to happen
• ways to check if work is going well
• ways to show people that change is happening
• ways to find out what people need to live the life they want to live

Service users should be able to check in often, rather than when they are having a crisis – if they are in great difficulty or danger.

Lifelong and ongoing need

There are not enough resources – money, materials and staff - for patients who are low risk.

We must make sure that people who will always need support are not excluded or disadvantaged.

Some people thought children's services and justice services should be included in the NCS from the start.

Local Government scrutiny

It should be clear:

• how to check if the NCS is working well

• how services get money and how people get services

• which services are to be included in the NCS
• how to get social care
• how to complain about services

Improving quality and changing the words we use

There should be clear rules and standards about how decisions are made about cost and quality of services.

We should use the phrase 'improving quality above costs' instead of saying 'best value'.

People talked about the use of the word 'care' and if there needs to be a different way of explaining this.

Trauma informed

Trauma is the emotions you feel after a bad or frightening event.

Trauma informed means understanding how trauma can make people feel and behave.

Everyone in the NCS should be trauma informed.

What went well at the Forum events?

• lots of information from different organisations and people with lived experience

• people with lived experience were seen as the most important people in discussions and were part of the panel
• different ideas and opinions in the discussion groups
• people had time to say what they thought, and were listened to

• speeches were powerful and showed good understanding of the issues
• the event was accessible
• good comfort breaks, refreshments, directions and good organisation

What did not work well?

• some people did not get the agenda before the event
• taking part in the Forum online could be made better

• it would be good to have more time for the panel discussion
• some accommodation was not as accessible as planned

NCS Forum 2023

Before the Forum in 2023 the Scottish Government will:

• put different formats of the programme on the Scottish Government website, on social media and share it with organisations

• email the programme to everyone who has registered to take part

• tell people to check the email they gave when registering to make sure they get the programme
• look for ways for online participants to take part in group discussions

• look at having break-out groups for people taking part online and including their feedback at the event
• have accessible ways for people to ask questions before the Forum
• look for more creative ways for people to feedback so that any issues can be dealt with quickly

Access to Ministers

A Scottish Government Minister is responsible for certain areas of government such as Health, Education or Transport.

We will think about:

• the time needed for the panel section of the Forum
• a question and answer session with Ministers only – as part of the next Forum or as a separate event
• having smaller, local events
• having online webinars in the evening or at weekends
• how to make events more accessible

When needed we will again book and pay for places to stay near the event for people with lived experience and their personal assistants.

What happens next?

Online welcome sessions at the end of 2022 will help people learn about what co-design means and what to expect when taking part in co-design research and workshops

People can then work with Scottish Government policy teams on:

• information sharing
• keeping local care support
• rights and responsibilities
• making sure your voice is heard
• making sure workers are respected and treated fairly

More themes will be added later.

The views of people at the sessions will help with developing the NCS and planning for the NCS Forum 2023.

For more information please follow our:

• twitter.com/ScotGovNCS
• blogs.gov.scot/health-social-care