The Scottish Government has published plans for a National Care Service. The new service would rely on outsourcing to the private sector. We believe there is no room for profit in care. The recent report Profiting From Care shows how private providers siphon off money to investors that could and should be spent on care. See our draft letter below which you can download, adapt and send to your MSP.
Our care service needs to be improved.
It is urgent to
- Take profit out of care
- Improve pay & conditions for workers
- Make care local & accountable
- Ensure adequate funding
- Make care a free service
The social care bill is going ahead without taking crucial issues into consideration.
The legislation focuses on centralisation.
It misses our chance to make any real improvement to care & care work.
The Green manifesto and the Labour manifesto committed to halting the privatisation of the care service.
The STUC report, ‘Profiting from Care: why Scotland can’t afford privatised social care,’ explains how making care a business for profit adversely affects the quality of care and care work. The links between privatised care, poor outcomes and excessive profit extraction are set out in the report.
People in Scotland want to keep the NHS as a public service and when surveyed people have the same opinion about care. Many of us have experience of the shortcomings of the present approach.
We need to take the profit out of care. We must make caring a respected job. We need to make the service kind and humane.
YOU CAN IMPROVE CARE
Please contact your MSP urgently
You can use the model email below (download it here)
Dear …………..
As one of your constituents, I am writing to draw your attention to the STUC report ’Profiting from Care: Why Scotland Can’t Afford Privatised Care.’ It considers the problems of the current care system and suggests ways to make it more effective and humane.The links between privatised care, poor outcomes and excessive profit extraction are set out in the report.
I ask you to use your influence to take profit out of social care.
It is time to act. The social care consultation and bill are going ahead in Scotland without taking this crucial issue into consideration. The legislation seems to focus on centralisation and misses our chance to make any real improvement to care & care work.
Have you read the report?
Do you agree the profit motive adversely affects the quality of care and [care] work?
Do you think it is something that has to be changed?
In Scotland the prevailing view is for keeping the NHS as a public service and when surveyed people have the same opinion about care.
It is a popular issue. Many already have direct experience of the shortcomings of the present approach.
You are in a position to clarify the care issue and coordinate the widespread desire for a humane service. Any party working towards this would benefit. The Green manifesto committed to halting the privatisation of the service as did the Labour one.
As my MSP I would like you to lead the way on this. I think it would increase your popularity.
I rely on you to take these suggestions forward with urgency. I hope you will agree this is vital for the wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
Yours sincerely,
……………………
Your MSP’s address can be found here
https://www.parliament.scot/msps
FOR MORE INFO
BBC Panorama programme-Crisis in Care
Another Edinburgh is Possible 