National Care Service Forum 2022: summary report

Introduction

The first National Care Service Forum was held in Perth on 3 October 2022 and was chaired by Anne-Marie Monaghan, Board Director of the Independent Living Fund.

It was attended by around 600 people - 300 in person, with the same number joining online. The event was the first of what will be an annual opportunity to reflect on the development of the NCS and the national co-design process.

Attendees included people with lived experience, stakeholders, workforce, and those with a general interest in social care, social work and community healthcare.

Attendees heard from Disability Activist, Kiana Kalantar-Hormozi, the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart MSP, and the Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance MSP.

Following round table discussions, there was a panel discussion including Linda Riley, member of the People-Led Policy Panel, Toyin Adenugba-Okpaje, social worker, Mary Alexander, Deputy Regional Secretary of Unite in Scotland and Humza Yousaf MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, who then closed the event with his reflections on the day.

The main part of the day was taken up with two discussion sessions, where in-person attendees took part in facilitated round-table discussions in the cabaret-style auditorium. Those attending remotely via the webinar were able to contribute through Slido and the webinar chat.

During the morning discussion, we asked attendees:

• what they want the NCS to deliver
• what they see as possible risks or unintended consequences
• how we can make sure we're listening to people and telling people what they need to know

In the afternoon discussion, attendees were asked to consider a list of the things people said they wanted from the NCS through the consultation and provide comments on possible additions. The things people had said they wanted are:

• a system that is genuinely accountable to people;
• that promotes best value across care and support by driving up quality;
• that embeds a human rights-based approach;
• that recognises the breadth of value in the workforce;
• that develops preventative strategies and avoiding crisis interventions;
• that smooths artificial transitions;
• that builds strong and resilient communities;
• and that supports localism and partnership.

This report provides a summary of the contributions from the table discussions, the webinar and from Slido.

There was a lot of overlap between discussions, so this report is organised around themes, rather than the discussion questions outlined above. Those themes are:

• Vision for the NCS
• How we communicate and listen to people
• Potential risks or unintended consequences
• Gaps in the Consultation