National Care Service Bill ambition remains ‘undiminished,’ says minister

Social care minister Maree Todd has said the Scottish Government will push forward with “vital reforms in social care”, weeks after its flagship National Care Service plan was scrapped.

In her address at Holyrood’s Digital Health & Care conference in Edinburgh, Todd said a revised plan is underway in parliament to allow for the “safe, secure, and efficient” sharing of data across care settings.

Last month the Scottish Government axed its plan to create a National Care Service, after failing to secure support. The service, on which the government had already spent around £30m,lost the backing of the Greens, which gave the plan a majority at Holyrood, and council body Cosla late last year.

The service was a key part of the National Care Service Bill, but the government intends to press ahead with the remaining two parts of the legislation and pursue structural reform and the establishment of an advisory body.

Todd said: “We are going to use a mix of legislative and non-legislative means to deliver the vital reforms in social care that we know we need to see. A revised approach has been put forward to parliament and that revised approach will include the vital reforms to information sharing and information standards that are required to improve the quality and flow of health and care information.

“That will enable safe, secure and efficient sharing of social care and health data across relevant care settings, including with the individual, and it will ensure up-to-date information is available to people who support and provide care.”

Todd also told delegates artificial intelligence (AI) would be at the heart of an NHS fit for the future, confirming a framework for the responsible use of AI in healthcare will be published this summer.

The framework will “set out our approach to making sure that AI is used safely, ethically, and in a way that benefits everyone,” she said.

The minister also pledged to “maximise” the “availability and potential” of innovations that are already in place, citing Connect Me, and Hospital at Home – both services which use technology to help people manage their health at home.

Her address follows on from First Minister John Swinney’s speech on NHS reform last month, in which he pointed to digital tools as an integral part of his ambitions for the sector, confirming the planned health and social care app will be launched by the end of the year.john