Latest news with #CareReform(Scotland)Bill
The National
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish Labour MSPs missing more Holyrood votes than Tories and SNP
In recent weeks, the number of Labour MSPs failing to vote on motions in the Scottish Parliament has increased, leading to concerns that their absence could be "changing the result of the votes". Last Wednesday for example – the most recent day of voting at the time of writing – 39% of Labour MSPs (nine members) did not vote in the chamber, compared with 6.7% of Tory MSPs (two members) and 1.6% of SNP (one member). The National analysed all the main votes which have taken place so far in June, excluding amendments, and found that among the three main parties, Labour consistently had the highest percentage of absent MSPs, with the Tories following not far behind, while the SNP had the highest turnout. READ MORE: Labour blasted as 'deeply authoritarian' over plans to proscribe Palestine Action Between June 1 and 19, an average of 20.1% of Labour MSPs failed to vote in motions, compared to 14% Tory and 6.6% SNP. Of the 10 votes that took place in that time, there were only four instances where turnout for both Labour and the Tories was higher than 90%. Meanwhile, the SNP turnout was above 90% in all of these votes. Scottish Labour had a higher turnout when it came to their own motions, such as their Planning motion on June 11, which was missed by one MSP, and their motion on Scotland's medical and nursing workforce crisis also on June 11, which all Labour MSPs voted on. More Labour MSPs tended to turn up when it came to voting on bills. At the Scottish Languages Bill debate on June 17, 17.4% of Labour MSPs did not vote, compared with 20% Tory and 8.2% SNP. And at the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill on June 10, 8.7% of Labour MSPs were absent, while the Tories had double, at 16.67%, and the SNP had 6.6%. But when these figures are compared with the start of the year, it shows a significant drop in attendance from Labour MSPs. READ MORE: Presiding Officer to step down at Holyrood election The National found that in January, an average of 7.9% of Labour MSPs failed to vote, compared with 9.1% Tory and 6.6% SNP. And in February, the average number of MSPs missing votes stood at 15% Labour, 10.1% Tory and 6.2% SNP. When looking at the smaller parties, the Greens and LibDems – which have seven and five MSPs respectively – were much more likely to show up to votes. In fact, since the beginning of this year, the Scottish Greens have had a full turnout at 86.9% of votes (53 out of 61 votes), while the LibDems had 65.6% (40 votes). In the instances where full turnout was not recorded, this was down to a maximum of two MSPs not voting. READ MORE: Scottish civil service reaches 'record' size, figures show There is one Alba MSP (Ash Regan) and one Independent MSP (John Mason), who turned up to 75.4% (46 votes) and 100% of votes respectively. For parties with higher numbers of MSPs, it is more difficult to achieve a full turnout. The SNP, which have 60 MSPs, recorded a full turnout at just two votes (3.3%) – the Assisted Dying Bill on May 13 and an SNP motion on Scotland's Hydrogen Future on May 1. The only instance where every single Tory MSP (of which there are 30) took part in a vote was for the Assisted Dying Bill (1.6% of the total number of votes), while Labour (which have 23 MSPs) saw a full turnout at four votes (6.6%) – but three of those were motions submitted by Labour, while the fourth was for the Assisted Dying Bill. While it is expected that MSPs will not be able to make every single vote, such as due to illness or maternity leave, there are proxy voting arrangements in place which mean that the absence would not affect the overall result of a vote. Commenting on the figures, Greens MSP Ross Greer – who has voted in every motion analysed by The National – said that "if Labour MSPs don't want to do the jobs they were elected to, they should resign". He added that the proxy voting arrangements mean "there is no excuse for almost half of the Labour group casting no vote at all" in some cases. Ross Greer MSP"That is bad enough on ordinary motions, but it is totally unacceptable when we are deciding on the laws of this country," he said. Greer added that "it is a privilege to serve Scotland in Parliament", and that turning up to vote is "the bare minimum" that voters expect of those they elect. READ MORE: SNP the only pro-indy party not to sign pledge condemning Gaza genocide He continued: "This isn't a one off. The attendance of Labour and Tory MSPs has been shocking for years. "It has absolutely changed the result of votes and therefore meant that Scotland's laws are different than they otherwise would have been if everyone elected by the public had actually turned up to do their job." Commenting, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: "The fact Labour and Tory MSPs are increasingly failing to turn up to Parliament shows that Scotland is always an afterthought for the unionist parties. "SNP MSPs have the best attendance rate of any party – we are in Parliament every day, standing up for our constituents – while Labour and the Tories are nowhere to be seen when it matters most." Scottish Labour did not respond when approached for comment.
Daily Record
18-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Scots campaigners welcome move towards care home change but 'the fight goes on'
Plans to transform social care will be progressed after the Scottish Parliament approved the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill with the support of 116 MSPs. Campaigners have welcomed progress towards enshrining vital care home protections – but warned their fight isn't over. SNP ministers pledged to change the law to give relatives legal visiting rights in the wake of the pandemic, which saw thousands of elderly people die alone in locked down institutions. The Sunday Mail has campaigned for Anne's Law alongside Campbell Duke, whose wife Anne died in isolation aged 62 with early onset Alzheimer's disease, for visiting protections to be introduced. But progress stalled when the government scrapped its plans for a National Care Service and replaced it with the Care Reform Bill. Now, plans to transform social care will be progressed after the Scottish Parliament approved the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill with the support of 116 MSPs. Anne's Law will uphold the rights of family and friends to be named as 'essential care supporters' and require care homes to allow visits from them in all but the most extreme circumstances. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Cathie Russell, from the Care Home Relatives Scotland group, said the Bill's approval was to be welcomed but guidance to support Anne's Law was still to be seen. She said: "We have worked closely with the Government and MPs from all parties for nearly five years now to try and make sure the brutally inhumane things that happened in 2020 and 2021 don't happen again. "We were never simply visitors. As husbands, wives, sons, daughters and mothers, we were our loved ones' main carers before and after they went into a care home. "We must be able to maintain personal contact to love and care for vulnerable relatives as we always did." Campbell welcomed the move but said there was more still to be done. He said: "It took Government, Parliament and Civic Scotland five years to finally be persuaded to pass legislation. There remains much work to be done in shaping Codes of Conduct and Regulations to future-proof this legislation. The fight goes on."
Scotsman
11-06-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Sunita Poddar, CEO of Oakminster Healthcare: Information sharing is the most pressing update in the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill
I welcome the Scottish Parliament's approval of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill as a necessary and timely step toward strengthening the future of social care in Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The most critical element of this reform - and one that will have the greatest immediate impact - is the improvement to how information is shared across health and social care. Ensuring seamless communication and the ability to track the care journey of residents and patients across settings is key to delivering safe, person-centred support. For too long, duplication, gaps in information, and siloed systems have added unnecessary stress to individuals and families. This change will help provide continuity, clarity and dignity in care. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At Oakminster Healthcare, we are already focused on delivering personalised, relationship-based care - centred on human connection and respect. These reforms will help us build on that, with the right tools and data to better coordinate care and support. Sunita Poddar, CEO of Oakminster Healthcare The enshrinement of Anne's Law is a powerful and compassionate step forward. The right to remain connected to a named loved one, even in times of crisis, is something no person in care should be denied.
Glasgow Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Care reform Bill passed unanimously at Holyrood
The Scottish Government proposed to shift accountability for providing social care to ministers and create local bodies that would be responsible for administering care. But serious opposition from political parties, local authorities and trade unions resulted in the plans being ripped out of the Bill despite around £30 million being spent on its development. The name of the Bill was eventually changed to the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill and it was passed with the support of 116 MSPs on Tuesday. Speaking about the failed proposals for the creation of a National Care Service, Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: 'Let's not pretend we've arrived at this moment by design. 'We're here because of yet another SNP policy that promised the world and delivered a fiasco. 'The now defunct National Care Service Bill was once hailed as the most significant reform to health and social care since the creation of the NHS. 'But, in reality, it was a half-baked plan dreamt up by ministers, clearly in an ivory tower that was dead in the water before the ink had dried on the first draft.' While Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'The way we care for our most vulnerable is more important than party politics. 'That is why Scottish Labour committed to help the Scottish Government deliver such a service, but as I warned at the time, the devil would be in the detail.' The Scottish Government, Ms Baillie claimed, 'attempted a power grab'. 'Four years later, three first ministers later, three health secretaries later and £31 million later and what we have before us is a drastically reduced Bill with not a National Care Service in sight, and not a single extra penny of that money going directly to social care,' she added. Despite the changes, social care minister Maree Todd said the Government remained committed to the creation of a National Care Service. The remaining provisions will implement changes to the existing care system, the biggest of which has been dubbed 'Anne's Law'. The change will allow family and friends to be named as 'essential care supporters' and require care homes to facilitate visits from them in all but the most extreme circumstances. The proposals grew from a Scottish Parliament petition by Natasha Hamilton, who was unable to visit her mother Anne Duke in her care home during the pandemic, ultimately missing her death. Speaking in Holyrood on Tuesday, Ms Todd praised the work of campaigners for Anne's Law, some of whom were watching proceedings from the public gallery. 'I have been profoundly impacted by the conversations that I have had with them,' she said. 'The emotional harm and trauma that they and their loved ones and many others suffered from being unable to see one another for such long, isolating periods during the pandemic must be acknowledged to make sure that this never happens again.' As well as Anne's Law, the legislation will also give unpaid carers the right to take breaks.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MSPs vote to introduce scaled-back social care reforms
MSPs have unanimously passed legislation which will allow people in care homes to receive visits from a named loved one even in restricted measures. The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill will also introduce changes to social care procurement and a new right to breaks for unpaid carers. The legislation was backed by 116 votes to none. Plans to introduce a national care service, which were initially part of the bill, were dropped in January after unions withdrew support and a number of health boards and care organisations expressed concerns. One of the big changes planned under the new law is a legal right to breaks for unpaid carers. This mean councils will have a duty to decide whether a carer is able to take sufficient breaks from their caring role. If they are not, then the local authority will provide support to enable this, such as providing funding for short respite breaks. This policy, given Scotland has around 700,000 unpaid carers, will cost between £196m and £315m by 2035/36, according to the Bill's financial memorandum. However, it remains a fraction of the £13.9bn that unpaid care is currently saving Scotland every year. Improvements to the way information is shared in health and social care - to make it less likely that people will have to repeat their information - as well changes to procurement rules in the sector are also planned. Beefing up the powers that watchdogs can take against failing care providers is also part of the bill. The most high-profile part of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill is Anne's Law, which allows people in care homes to receive visits from a named loved one even in restricted measures. It is named after Anne Duke, who died aged 63 in November 2021 after being cut off from her family while battling early-onset dementia during the Covid pandemic. The original proposal for a National Care Service, inspired by the NHS, was to take social care provision and staff away from local authorities into a new national agency. That was then dropped in favour of creating a national care board to supervise service delivery and improve consistency - but this failed to win over a growing number of critics. Council body Cosla and trade unions then withdrew their support for the project, while a number of health boards and care organisations also expressed concerns. The plan, which was also subject to a series of delays, was eventually scrapped in January after £30m was spent on the process. Social Care Minister Maree Todd said at the time she was "still committed to the ambitions of the National Care Service" but added the SNP no longer had the support it needed in parliament to pass its original plans into law. How the SNP's flagship social care reforms were scaled back Why was Scotland's National Care Service scrapped?
