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Plenary, 28 Nov 2001

28 Nov 2001 · S1 · Plenary

Item of business

Community Care and Health (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Whitefield, Karen Lab Airdrie and Shotts Watch on SPTV

I add my congratulations to Malcolm Chisholm and his two new deputies. I wish them well in their new role. I pay tribute to the work of Susan Deacon, our former Minister for Health and Community Care.

I am particularly pleased to be able to speak in the debate because I am not a member of the Health and Community Care Committee. For that reason, and as the convener of the cross-party group on carers, I intend to limit my remarks to carers issues. Much of what I intended to say has been expressed well by committee members, who are well aware of the issues.

Before commenting on the sections of the bill that relate to carers issues, I pay tribute to Health and Community Care Committee members for their stage 1 report. I welcome the report, and hope that the Executive will give it full consideration.

There is no need to highlight the vital role played by carers. Discussions about the vital support that they provide have been well rehearsed. We have all heard the relevant figures and we are all convinced of the value of carers in Scotland and of the need to ensure that they receive proper recognition, support and assistance.

Representatives of Carers Scotland gave the Health and Community Care Committee moving evidence regarding the need for strong assessment and support structures for carers. I was pleased to note how they felt:

"The principles of the bill offer the opportunity to revolutionise the experience of carers in Scotland and to change fundamentally their status and position, from being perceived as needy and a drain on resources to being seen as partners in the provision of care."—[Official Report, Health and Community Care Committee, 24 October 2001; c 2062.]

The carers strategy began the process of providing proper recognition to Scottish carers and clarified the commitment of the Parliament and the Executive to carers. The bill continues to strengthen that commitment.

I am pleased that the bill will ensure that carers have an independent right to assessment. However, the right to an assessment is useful only if the carer is aware of it. In that regard, I share some of the concerns of Carers Scotland, of other carers organisations and of members of the Health and Community Care Committee, and find myself agreeing with the recommendations in the committee report.

There is compelling evidence to suggest that there is a need to impose a duty on local authorities and the NHS to take steps to identify carers and to ensure that carers are informed of their right to an assessment. There is a need for clear and flexible guidelines, although such guidelines will not be enough on their own. If we insert a statutory duty in the bill, we will provide a much greater incentive to local authorities and the NHS and greater recourse for dissatisfied carers or carers organisations.

I am pleased that the bill recognises that carers are key partners in the delivery of care services. Many local authorities already work in partnership with carers. Indeed, my local authority, North Lanarkshire Council, has successfully involved carers in the design of services. I am also pleased that the minister indicated that the Scottish Executive is willing to lodge an amendment that will give young carers the right to assessment, which I believe is a vital step. Young carers face a particularly difficult task. The burden of caring can often have a negative impact on their education and on their ability to socialise with their peers. They deserve all the support that society can provide.

I will conclude with a few words on the importance of providing respite to carers. Carers Scotland was right to point out that carers should not be seen as clients or recipients of services, but as the providers of services. They need support and assistance in the provision of care, including the provision of adequate respite. We would not dream of asking professional carers in the NHS or in local authorities to provide care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we should not expect such a service from Scotland's carers. We need to provide proper respite, so that carers can spend time away from their caring duties, safe in the knowledge that the person for whom they care is not suffering as a result of their absence.

I reiterate my opening point. I am pleased with the bill's provisions on carers, but the Executive could still go a step further and deliver a Scottish bill that would be the envy of carers across the United Kingdom.

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Plenary, 28 Nov 2001

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