MINISTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH – SCOTTISH CARE CONFERENCE – HOME CARE FOR 21ST CENTURY
SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS
Thank you Ranald. I am delighted to be here this morning, attending my fourth Annual Conference although this is definitely the FIRST time I’ve addressed Scottish Care in its newly merged status.
As this IS my fourth speech to you as an audience, I am going to very quickly round up on all the things that are NEW since last year and finish with an outline of what is happing on the Reshaping Care programme
The things that have progressed significantly since last year are
• The imminent publication of our Dementia Strategy
• Publication of our Carers and Young Carers Strategy
• Working towards a Self Directed Support Bill
• The draft refreshed guidance on social care procurement
• Care Information Scotland
• Scrutiny arrangements
(Dementia Strategy)
I am very pleased to announce that our National Dementia Strategy will be launched next week.
I should say at the outset how pleased I am at the level and quality of joint working which has contributed to the final document – including of course from Scottish Care, and other key partners represented here today.
We know that people with dementia and their carers and families are still often left feeling dissatisfied by their experience of services - this despite the huge amount of resources in the system, estimated by Alzheimer Scotland at £1.7 billion per annum.
It is vital that we tackle dementia services strategically now, in order not only to improve services over the short and medium term, but also to begin to reshape the model of services - especially as we expect the number of people with dementia to double over the next 25 years. As several people have said to me, if we get it right now for people with dementia, we will be getting it right for all older people.
These changes will be supported by key actions, such as developing and implementing specific standards for care for the first time, and developing and implementing a skills and knowledge framework for dementia.
(Unpaid Carers)
Our Carers’ Strategy will cover a range of important issues to help support carers, and indeed young carers, further. I hope you are already witnessing changes in the role that carers should play in designing and developing services – more and more they are being recognised as equal partners in the delivery of health and social care.
Carers can be sustained in their caring role, can continue caring for longer and in better health and help keep the cared-for person out of care homes and hospital if they are supported and not exploited.
[But we need to make sure that unpaid carers are effectively supported and that our systems do not work against the vital contribution that they make].
We are therefore committed, with our key partners, to producing a national carers’ and young carers’ strategy soon.
(self directed support)
Self-directed support as a high priority for the Scottish Government. We want individuals to be able to exercise more choice and control - to be able to have the support they need at the time and place and in the way that they want. Direct payments allow this to happen. The evidence from those who use direct payments is what drives us to create more opportunities for others to do the same.
That is why the Scottish Government’s work on self-directed support will always have a sharp focus on direct payments. But I am very clear that choice has to be real, and people should have other options available to them.
We are currently consulting on proposals to bring forward a Bill to help more people to direct their own support. This will consolidate and modernise existing laws and create a positive framework for self-directed support.
On Commissioning – which I know is a very live issue for this audience, we are responding to concerns raised by service users and providers. We know that social care procurement requires special consideration, and we are jointly developing guidance which has been out for very extensive consultation. It is being revised to offer assistance to local authorities when they are securing services from external providers. Mike Martin will be talking to you later this morning about the procurement of social care so I will leave it to him to explain in greater detail.
On Scrutiny Bodies - many of you will be aware that two new improvement and scrutiny bodies are being created from 1 April 2011. Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (or SCSWIS) will be responsible for the scrutiny of social care and social work services currently carried out by the Care Commission, Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA), and the parts of HMIE that deal with inspection of children's services. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (or HIS) will be responsible for the improvement and scrutiny of all healthcare services including the NHS and independent healthcare services. I am happy to see that Marcia Ramsay of the Care Commission is talking to you later today about the new approaches to scrutiny.
However, let me just say that now that we have the Act I expect to consult later in the year on the detailed regulations on things like inspection and enforcement to support the Act. This will give you the chance to have your say and I would encourage you to respond.
Care Information Scotland
As those of you here today will know from your experiences of providing care, it is often the case that services are urgently needed at a time of crisis. Those needing the care and their friends and families may have given little if any thought as to what to do when they can no longer cope without a helping hand. They need information quickly about the services available and how to access them. That is why we have set up Care Information Scotland, a new helpline and website which I launched in March this year.
The service provides up to date comprehensive information on community care for older people in Scotland, all together in one place. As well as advice on core national information such as the wide range of services available, financial assessments, and free personal care, the information service links people into the services in their local area. It is also a useful resource for care and health professionals and has been warmly welcomed.
I am very grateful to the wide range of organisations, including Scottish Care and local authorities, who have participated in the development of this service and who continue to work with the Care Information Scotland team on regular reviews to make sure the service is up to date and accurate. I am delighted to see there is a stand here today promoting Care Information Scotland. Do go and visit the stand where Karen Tarn, the manager for the service and Eileen Reilly, an information advisor will be delighted to tell you about the service and demonstrate the website for you.
(Reshaping Care)
Finally, on the main issue of the day, let me briefly bring you up to date on the Reshaping Care for Older People programme.
I’m sure you will have heard many times that our aging population ranks alongside the economy and climate change as a top priority for Scotland, as it does for all governments around the world.
There is already a shared consensus that with –
• more people living for longer,
• services under pressure and already looking for savings
• and ever-decreasing numbers of younger people available to provide care
• continuing expenditure of that order is just not sustainable.
I think it’s true to say that most of us will want in our own old age to stay in our own homes, or somewhere as homely as possible, as independently as possible, for as long as possible.
Achieving that aim means that we need to develop new, sustainable ways of delivering services which meet people’s needs as they get older. It means working to develop a range of options which will enable older people to live comfortably and independently for as long as it is feasible and as long as they wish to do so.
Most of you will be aware of the emerging professional consensus that the ‘direction of travel’ should be towards helping older people stay out of the formal care system. There are a range of ideas on the table and Scottish Care have contributed to our thinking so far.
But we all know this is complex territory and there are no quick and easy solutions, and we don’t have all the answers. We know we need fully integrated care to focus on recovery, well being, re-ablement and rehabilitation.
Having thought through some of the difficult issues, we are now taking our emerging proposals and thoughts out to the public.
We are embarking on an extensive engagement programme as
part of Reshaping Care, involving meetings and events across
Scotland. Over the next few months until September, we’ll be
testing and challenging these emerging ideas about housing,
health and social care as well as listening and learning from
the views and experiences that are held within the thousands
of communities across Scotland.
Can I urge those of you here today to contribute your own
thoughts and views to the Reshaping Care engagement programme. We’ve made some material available today about how to do this, and you’ll be hearing more in national and local media, as well as through some of the more established channels.
Shona Robison (plese note this is speech is not Verbatim)
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