A National Care Service for Scotland consultation: easy read

Chapter 1: Improving Care for People

We need to make health and social care support better.

Services are important in supporting the health and wellbeing of people. We want people to do the best they can.

We must work together to have a person-centred way of working. This chapter covers plans to make the system stronger.

Improvement

There are national organisations that advise to make services better. However, this does not always mean all services in Scotland get better.

The Independent Review of Adult Social Care said there should be a National Improvement Programme. This will make things better such as experiences of self-directed support, care in care homes and workplaces for staff.

Standards should be high everywhere in Scotland. Learning can be shared. This will help make services better in the future.

Question: Do you think a National Care Service will help make sure good practice in services is shared across Scotland?

• Yes
• No

Please say why

Are there any risks that we need to consider?

Access to Care and Support

Access to social care is too complicated and difficult. There are different professionals and organisations to deal with. People tell their story over and over again.

Assessment is based on having certain levels of need. Many people can only access support if their needs are really bad. It is not the same all over Scotland. If people move Council area, they may not be able to get the same support.

We want to change care and support services to focus on giving people the support they need to live a full life. Services should be provided early.

We will make it simpler to plan support and for people to move between different types of care as their needs change.

It would make sure that everyone uses the same language. The person using services and their family and friends should be at the centre of decision-making.

Question 2: If you or someone you know needed to access care and support, would you contact these places? Please tick the ones you would contact.

• GP or another health professional
• Voluntary sector organisation, like a Carer centre
• Public sector organisation
• Drop in service in your community
• Council contact centre
• Contacting council by email or through their website
• Website or online
• A national helpline that can be contacted 7 days a week

Question 3: How can we better coordinate care and support? This means how we will bring all parts together. Tick all that you think.

• Have one professional who co-ordinates everything for you
• Have one professional who talks to you, and then tells other people involved in your care and support what you have said
• Have local community or voluntary organisations who can talk to people involved in your care and support for you, when you want

Question 4: Tell us how you think support planning should work? Tick all that apply.

• Me, my family and my unpaid carers should be involved in support planning
• If I want to, I should be able to get help from a community or voluntary sector organisation to plan my support.
• A professional working with me should decide what support I need, taking my views into account
• My support should focus on the tasks I need to carry out each day to be able to take care of myself and live a full life
• My support should focus on the things I want to live a full life
• There should be a light touch process for people who need a little bit of support or should everyone have the same support planning

Question 5: Do you think the partnership way of working will improve access to care and support?

• Yes
• No
• Please explain why.

Right to breaks from caring

Unpaid carers are people who provide care for another person. Breaks for unpaid carers are important.

Caring roles can be very different. All carers need to be able to take a break. However, some may not need a lot of support for this. Breaks can be different. It could be a few hours off care at home. It could be a week or more of the cared-for person staying somewhere else.

We plan to make it a carer's right to have a break.

Question 6: Do you think everyone should have the same support to take a break from caring? Should support be personalised to a person's needs, or should it be a mix of both?

Using data to support care

There is lots of information available about people getting care and support. However, it is not always easily available.

Information about an individual is often held in lots of different places. This makes it difficult for people providing care and support across health and social care to get up to date information.

People have to repeat their story to different parts of the system, because information is not shared.

We plan to create a social care and health record. This can be used by those who provide support, and by the person. We will ask for people's permission.

Question 7: Do you think information about your health and care needs and support should be shared across the different services you use?

• Yes
• No
• No preference

Please say why

Complaints and putting things right

It is important that people know how to complain. Systems are not clear. People are not aware of advocacy services available.

Systems for handling complaints are different in different areas. Complaints do not always make services better the way they should. There should be one place to make a complaint all over Scotland.

Feedback and complaints should be used to understand the quality and safety of services.

Care providers will be required to show they have taken feedback and complaints on board when they are inspected.

1e: Complaints summary

Question 8: What changes do you think would make a new system of complaints work better? Tick all that apply

• Charter of rights and responsibilities that says what people can expect from the service
• Single point of access for feedback and complaints about all of the system
• Clear information about advocacy services
• The same model for handling complaints for all services
• Addressing complaints initially with the body the complaint is about
• Clear information about next steps if a complainant is not happy
• A commissioner to protect the rights of people who receive care and support
• Other – please explain below

Residential Care Charges

When someone moves to residential care the council asks how much money they have. The council then decide how much they should pay.

We are looking at options for the cost of residential care. Councils may have to pay more money to provide personal and nursing care to people in residential care. We want everyone to be treated fairly.

Question 9: Most people have to pay for the costs of where they live such as mortgage payments or rent. To make sure things are fair should care home residents have to pay towards accommodation costs such as

(please tick all that apply):

• Rent
• Maintenance
• Furnishings
• Utilities
• Food costs
• Food preparation
• Equipment
• Leisure and entertainment
• Transport
• Laundry
• Cleaning
• Other –Please explain below: