Meeting of the Parliament 08 February 2023
Mr Rennie knows the answer to that. We said that we would carry out more analysis of children’s services, which we are doing.
Our aim is to establish a social care system that empowers people to thrive, not just survive. The NCS will ensure consistency and fairness at a national level, with services being designed and delivered locally.
We are not just suggesting change to address the challenges of today; we must build a public service that is fit for tomorrow. Today, at least 232,000—or 1 in 25—people receive care support in Scotland. Demand will continue to grow and we need to recognise the risk of increased pressures on an already fragile system. We must act now.
Carers—paid and unpaid—continue to do remarkable work, providing critical and invaluable support to people across Scotland. I take this opportunity to thank them all again for their efforts.
The establishment of the national care service will ensure that our workforce is supported and rewarded. However, we are not waiting for the introduction of the NCS to bring in better conditions for our workforce. We are already increasing pay, improving terms and conditions in the sector and developing clear career pathways, all of which are backed by fair work principles.
The effects of Brexit and the cost of living crisis have had an impact on everyone in Scotland. That includes the social care workforce and unpaid carers. By working in collaboration with our partners, we want to see improvements in recruitment and retention, fair work and ethical commissioning. National pay bargaining will deliver more equitable terms and will ensure that all adult care staff will experience fair work in their employment. Rewarding and valuing the workforce will be key to delivering the best possible service for the people of Scotland, fit for the future and attractive to more people coming into the profession.
Currently, the £10.50 hourly rate in Scotland is significantly higher than the national living wage rate that will apply to many social care workers in England and Northern Ireland, with workers there receiving £1 less an hour than in Scotland.
We have a long-standing commitment to the principles of fair work for the social care sector.? We are fully committed to improving the experience of the social care workforce as we recognise and value the work that they do.
From April this year, adult social care workers delivering direct care in commissioned services will see their pay increase to a minimum of £10.90 an hour. That is in line with the real living wage rate for the 2023-24 financial year. The minimum £10.90 an hour pay rate represents an increase of 3.8 per cent from the minimum £10.50 an hour rate that was introduced in April 2022 for adult social care workers delivering direct care in commissioned services. All the rises represent a 14.7 per cent increase for those workers in the past two years, with pay rising from at least £9.50 an hour in April 2021 to £10.90 in April 2023.