‘Lifeline social care is now under threat. Political choices are to blame' |
Social care services in Scotland need urgent funding to protect lifeline services which are already under threat and politicians must stop using the vulnerable system for point-scoring argues Scottish Care chief executive Dr Donald Macaskill.
On a winter morning in Lanarkshire, Mary waits for her homecare worker to arrive. That knock on the door is more than routine – it is the sound of dignity, independence, and human connection. Yet for thousands like Mary, this lifeline is under threat. As Scotland heads into an election, we face a stark choice: will social care remain the poor relation of public policy, or will we finally recognise it as the cornerstone of a fair society?
For too long, social care has been treated as a cost to contain rather than an investment to cherish. The consequences are visible everywhere: care homes closing their doors, homecare visits squeezed into 15-minute slots, and exhausted staff leaving for better-paid jobs elsewhere. Behind these headlines are real lives, families desperate for placements, older people stuck in hospital because there is nowhere for them to go, and workers who feel undervalued despite........