Government must get a grip of social care crisis - Rennie

According to its most recent published board documents, the Fife HSCP was projecting a £36.99 million deficit for the end of the 2024-25 financial year. This was a substantial increase from the projected deficit of £21.6 million as of September last year. At that time the Partnership announced a series of cuts, including reducing respite provision by half for new cases and permanently raising the threshold to access social work services.

Unlike previous years, the Scottish Government said it would not make any additional funds available available to Health and Social Care Partnerships in the form of brokerage, meaning that the shortfall was expected to be funded by payments from NHS Fife and Fife Council.

Mr Rennie asked when the government would ‘get a grip of the crisis’ in social care. In response Mr McKee said that ministers were engaging with the sector.

Speaking in the Holyrood chamber, Willie Rennie said: “The government do love roundtables and response groups as a response to any particular crisis, and it is a crisis because people are desperate for social care. But because of Fife’s £37 million overspend last year, services were slashed and people suffered. So when is the government going to get a grip of this problem?”

Speaking after the question session he later added: “Social care partnerships across Scotland have faced deficits year after year, leaving people without access to the services they need. Through our negotiations with the Scottish Government the Scottish Liberal Democrats secured greater funding for social care in this year's budget, but it is up to the government to put long-term plans in place to stop this crisis from continuing.”