National Care Service campaign

The Scottish Government is putting a Bill through Parliament to set up a National Care Service (NCS), the bill leaves profiteering at the heart of care, and will outsource a huge range of functions; all of social work and social care out of councils, and an unknown number of responsibilities out of the NHS.    This threatens the employment and pensions of tens of thousands of workers, and meaning a huge sum of money will be spent on structural change rather then on improving services.

This page will be a hub for UNISON Scotland’s information and resources about UNISON Scotland’s campaign to have the current Bill withdrawn and for the Scottish Government to start again and come up with plans for aa real national Care Service.

We are asking all UNISON members to contact their MSPs, many of whom are still unaware of what the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill contains.

  • You can email your MSPs using this one click link here.
  • UNISON Scotland has prepared a short guide to the Bill, its main provisions, and the implications of a measure that is an unequivocal attack on the idea of publicly delivered public services. You can view the guide here.
thumbnail of Briefing 131 – safe staffing consultation care

Briefing 131 – Consultation on Safe Staffing Statutory Guidance: Care Services

The Scottish Government is consulting on its draft Statutory Guidance for safe staffing in health and care. The Health and ...
thumbnail of UNISON Response Winter Preparedness Health Social Care Cttee July23

Winter preparedness – response to Health, Social Care & Sport Committee

This is UNISON Scotland's response to the Scottish Parliament's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s call for evidence[1] for the ...
Press Release

UNISON comment on the Scottish Government National Care Service partnership announcement

UNISON Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said:  “The announcement that social care staff will continue to be employed ...
thumbnail of FINAL 22 06 23 Paraprofessional survey

Survey Report on Social Work Paraprofessionals

Our survey confirms that social work paraprofessionals are increasingly carrying out the roles of qualified social workers but without the ...
thumbnail of UNISON Vision for a National Care Service

National Care Service – the one we need and the one on offer

UNISON Scotland has outlined our  vision of what a National Care Service should look like. It is very different to ...
Press Release

UK’s largest union calls for scrapping of National Care Service Bill

The Scottish Government’s troubled National Care Service Bill faced a further blow today  (Wednesday) as UNISON, the UK’s biggest union ...
UNISON National Delegate Conference 2023: Conference demands National Care Service Bill be scrapped

UNISON National Delegate Conference 2023: Conference demands National Care Service Bill be scrapped

#undc23 Conference overwhelmingly opposed the Scottish Government’s National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. Backing Scottish delegations call for the bill to ...
thumbnail of Final Occupational Therapists briefing May 2023

Briefing 125 – Occupational Therapists and a National Social Work Agency

This briefing is about the intended remit of the proposed National Social Work Agency. This remit includes workforce matters and ...
thumbnail of Final NSWA Bargaining briefing 2023

Briefing 124 – A National Social Work Agency

The Scottish Government proposes to create a National Social Work Agency. It would sit within government as part of a ...
Press Release

Scottish Autism’s staff are distressed after hearing plans to slash their pensions, say UNISON

A Scottish charity, Scottish Autism, has informed staff they plan to withdraw them from the local government pension scheme, slashing ...