Cole-Hamilton: Almost 12,000 waiting on social care cannot afford ministerial takeover

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader and Health spokesperson, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has called on the Scottish Government to “abandon" their ministerial takeover of social care after new figures today showed almost 12,000 people in Scotland are waiting to be assessed or have a care package arranged.    

Figures from Public Health Scotland showed that:  

• 7,522 people, as of 20th February 2023, are waiting for a social care assessment in Scotland.  

• 4,445 people, as of 20th February 2023, have been assessed and waiting for a package in Scotland.  

• 43,910 hours of care at home are yet to be provided to assessed individuals, as of 20th February 2023.  

Mr Cole Hamilton said:  

“These figures confirm that there is an ever-deepening crisis in social care which users and staff need resolved now. Not in five years’ time. Not with the fuss, froth and fanfare of a billion-pound bureaucracy.    

“The government must abandon their plans for a ministerial takeover of social care.

“Charging ahead with proposals to consume gargantuan sums of money which won’t address the core problems in the sector is mind-bogglingly out of touch.  

“The first thing the next FM must do is scrap ministers’ billion-pound power grab of social care. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see this money spent on better pay, conditions and career progression for staff now, as well as bringing in guaranteed standards and entitlements for those who depend on social care.”