There is a co-design process offering a package of care reform options that could be implemented whether or not the National Care Service as proposed goes ahead or before it is established.
― The National Care Service Bill as it stands has little support and is actively opposed by many key stakeholders. It should be withdrawn and recreated through a process of co-design.
― But there is a crisis in care in Scotland are there are some things in the draft regulation which are not only worth keeping but expediting. These should be decoupled from the Care Bill.
― There are three ways that this can be done; through new primary legislation to create a Care Reform Bill, by amending elements of the existing Bill to currently-progressing legislation or through secondary legislation, regulation, policy and agreement.
― The remainder of the paper goes through the legislation, identifying what is worth saving and what is worth adding at this stage, and proposing the best method of progressing those parts of the legislation without waiting for the renegotiation of the entire Care Service Bill.
― While this will bring change faster, it will not go far enough. Despite the many problems with the legislation introduced by the Scottish Government, Common Weal still strongly supports the principle of a National Care Service and does not want to see it lost altogether. The Scottish Government must reintroduce a Bill which has widespread support, but should not wait to begin the reform of care.