Cole-Hamilton: Thousands waiting for care at home need support now

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has called on the Scottish Government to get to grips with the crisis in social care by providing proper support for local authorities and health boards, after new figures showed that nearly 10,000 people are waiting to either be assessed for care at home or to have a care package arranged.  

Figures from Public Health Scotland show that as of 9th October 2023:

• 5,900 people are estimated to be waiting for a social care assessment.
• 3,900 people have been assessed and are waiting for a care at home package.

Mr Cole Hamilton said:  

“No matter how much ministers decide to bury their heads in the sand, the crisis in social care just isn’t going away. Staff, who have been overstretched and undervalued for years, are now on their knees while far too many people are stuck waiting far too long to get the help they need. We cannot afford to wait years for the government’s proposed billion-pound bureaucratic takeover of the sector, which no one wants and which fails to tackle key problems.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see health boards and local authorities empowered to provide a high quality of care. That’s why we’ve stood up against this ministerial power grab from day one. If there is a billion pounds available, we want that money to be spent on rewarding staff with better pay and conditions, as well as introducing guaranteed standards and entitlements for those who depend on social care.”