Commission details human rights standards for development of National Care Service

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has responded to the Scottish Government’s call for views on its proposals for a National Care Service for Scotland.

In A National Care Service for Scotland – Consultation Response, the Commission lays out the human rights framework which applies to social care and how it should be applied to elements of the new proposals. Key points include:

• The Commission welcomes the Feeley Independent Review of Adult Social Care and its recommendations for a radical shift in adult social care provision towards one with human rights, equity and equality at its heart.

• Placing human rights at the heart of a new social care system is essential to fixing current problems. Human rights must be embedded in a way that is consistent, intentional and evident, as well as accountable in practice.  The Commission believes the proposals have some way to go to achieve this. 

• A human rights based approach requires that all aspects of relevant human rights are engaged with and built into the various aspects of a new system – from commissioning and procurement, through eligibility and assessment, to complaints and redress. Equally, they must be explicitly embedded in regulatory frameworks and workforce arrangements.

ENDS