Lib Dems set out plans to support care workers and relieve the pressure on the NHS

During a visit to Cramond Residence in Edinburgh, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP and Wendy Chamberlain, the party’s candidate for North East Fife, set out how the party's plans for a £500m rescue package for care will enable people to be released from hospital and relieve pressure on the NHS.

It comes as the party publishes new analysis showing that the average number of people stuck in hospital on delayed discharge at the monthly census point has increased by 30.5% since 2019, increasing from 1,452 to 1,895 per night in the first three months of 2024.

Liberal Democrat plans include:

• Introducing a higher Carer’s Minimum Wage, increasing the minimum wage for care workers by £2 an hour;
• Opposing the Scottish Government’s billion-pound ministerial takeover of social care that would strip away local powers, and advocate for it to spend this money on staff, frontline services and raising care standards for care users.
• Implementing a human rights-focused approach to social care with integrated local services and high national standards;
• Establishing clear career pathways and better representation for care workers, improving staff retention by valuing experienced staff and ensuring fair pay and working conditions.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“It’s great to visit Cramond Residence and to meet the staff who do such an important job day-in and day-out.

"On the SNP’s watch, Scotland’s care services are in crisis. They have broken their promise to eradicate delayed discharges. In fact, things have got much worse because every night there are now around 1,900 people stuck in hospital when they should be looked after at home or in a care home. It’s contributing to record-breaking waits in A&E and dangerous ambulance delays.

"The Liberal Democrats would create a new minimum wage for care workers, £2 higher than the national minimum wage, to tackle the chronic staff shortages in social care. We will make social care a profession of choice by investing in our care sector and giving care staff the pay and conditions they deserve.

"We will invest to save, recognising that providing care reduces demand on more expensive NHS services.

"The Liberal Democrats are leading the way in supporting our hardworking care workers. Every vote for us is a vote to fix social care to save our NHS."