National Care Service: island communities impact assessment

Conclusion

Establishing the National Care Service will bring positive benefits to people in the social care and community health system by providing the means to address the inconsistency of people's experience of care and lead on improvement, establish consistent and clear governance arrangements, and provide for national oversight and strategic leadership of social care. The ICIA process has demonstrated that the Bill and the framework it puts in place to establish the NCS is designed to ensure the benefits of the reforms are realised for those in island communities and account for and mitigate any potential adverse impacts, in particular by providing the flexibility and scope for co-design and further engagement with people with lived experience and with input from delivery partners and key stakeholders. As secondary legislation is developed on the basis of powers introduced in this Bill, further impact assessments, including on island communities, will be undertaken where appropriate.

As the Bill sets out the framework for establishing the NCS, this is far from the end of the process. Work will continue over this current session of Parliament to ensure the NCS is up and running by 2026 and beyond, after which point there will always be further opportunities for refinement and improvement, alongside the regular operation of the NCS. Going forward, the Scottish Government remains committed to continued close engagement with people with lived experience of care and delivery partners and stakeholders, including those from island communities, to close the gap between legislative intent and implementation and to ensure that people's experiences and voices are heard and contribute to change and improvement within the system.