Union withdraws support for National Care Service plan

The social care minister told the BBC that was not the case, and that the Scottish government was “determined to deliver” on the service.

She said: “I’m disappointed that they are withdrawing, but I’m going to carry on with my work.

“We are in a process of delivering that legislation. I agree that it has been slow, we’ve had to re-think our approach as we have worked through what people have told us, but I believe that we will deliver a national care service by the end of this parliament and we will begin to see change.”

She added that once the legislation – currently in its second stage – is passed it would take “some years” to implement it, but that it would provide better pay and conditions for workers, creating a more “accountable” care system.

Todd stated the delays were partly due to taking feedback and adjusting to that feedback.

Originally the plan would have transferred social care responsibility from councils to a new national service.

Last year, Ms Todd proposed scrapping that transfer and abandoning plans for regional care boards.

She said those moves would ensure the costs for the project would then settle between £631m and £916m, instead of rising to possibly £2bn.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the proposal was “unwanted and reckless”.

He added: “The GMB’s withdrawal of support should be the final nail in the coffin for the botched national care service”.