Day: November 1, 2025

COSLA calls for urgent action to address Scotland’s crisis in social care

Councils Leaders have issued a stark warning about the growing crisis in social care, urging the need for social care funding to be a clear and focused national priority.

Following a meeting of Council Leaders, COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson Councillor Paul Kelly said: ‘Social care underpins everything we value most within our communities – from dignity in later life, supporting people in their unpaid caring roles, to enabling people to live independently and participate fully in society.

“Local Government has consistently prioritised social care, protecting budgets where possible and working tirelessly to maintain services despite severe and well-evidenced financial pressures.

“But Local Government cannot do this alone. Demand is increasing, costs are rising, and the workforce is under immense strain. Without fair and sustainable funding, we risk the viability of services that people rely on every single day.

“Local Government is doing everything possible to sustain vital care and support services, but without urgent investment from Scottish Government to enable us to commission and deliver more care, the system is at breaking point. That is why as part of COSLA’s manifesto we are calling on the next Scottish Government to invest £750m into social care services.

“We urge a national focus on addressing the workforce and financial crisis social care is experiencing, to ensure those who need support are not left without the help they need to live fulfilling lives.”

COSLA, Scottish Government, care providers, and system leaders had been meeting in the first half of 2025 as part of the jointly convened Financial Viability Response Group to address risks and impacts of funding challenges across the health and social care sector.

Cllr Kelly continued: ‘It is crucial that we reconvene the social care Financial Viability Response Group immediately.  

“We urge the Scottish Government to engage with us and our valued partners in the third and independent sector through the work of the Group to address the financial and workforce crisis in social care.”

COSLA’s 2026 Manifesto calls for sustainable finance for local services, including calling for an additional investment of £750m for social care: 

COSLA-Manifesto-2026v2 (1)Download

https://www.cosla.gov.uk/manifesto

Audit Scotland recently published a briefing on Local Government budgets for 25/26, which reported a projected revenue budget gap in 26/27 for 31 councils of £528m.

Improving health through prevention

Funding digital type 2 diabetes programmes

A new Scottish Government programme is expected to prevent up to 4,000 people from developing type 2 diabetes.

The £4.8 million investment will offer education and virtual, app-based, individual consultations with nutritionists, dietitians and health coaches via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) initiative to fast track proven healthcare innovations.

By focusing on prevention, this will reduce future health complications for patients, improve quality of life and ease long-term pressures on the NHS.

Health professionals in primary or secondary care will refer suitable patients soon after diagnosis of pre-diabetes or history of gestational diabetes – increasing equity of access to NHS services across Scotland – and self-referral will also be available.

Meeting frontline staff and patients at Pennywell All Care Centre in Edinburgh, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We want to improve access to treatment in the community, enhance preventative services and maximise the opportunities of digital innovation through our Service Renewal and Population Health Frameworks. This will deliver a sustainable and high quality health and social care system for the future.

“This digital programme reduces the need to travel to in-person appointments and helps patients make sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle and prevent progress towards type 2 diabetes. It enables rural and urban communities to easily access services which can have a life-changing impact.

“It is a prime example of transformative innovation that benefits frontline staff and patients alike and supports our health and care service to meet the challenges it faces.”

The three-year programme will enable up to 15,000 people at risk of type 2 diabetes to access nine months of digital diet and lifestyle change advice through ANIA – with up to 4,000 of those expected to avoid the condition.

Director of Innovation and Transformation at NHS Lothian Jenny Long said: “Over the past five years, NHS Lothian’s dietetic service has successfully delivered both the diabetes remission and award-winning prevention programmes, supported by permanent Scottish Government funding.

!Their success has led to further investment in digital innovation via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway.

“New digital services will improve patient access and outcomes across the region, enabling direct referrals from primary care and reducing waiting times.”

The ANIA Pathway, funded by the Chief Scientist Office and led by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, is designed to fast-track proven innovations into frontline healthcare across Scotland. By identifying, assessing, and implementing new health technologies with strong evidence and impact, ANIA ensures patients across Scotland benefit from the latest advances in care.

Head of Innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery Jason White said: “This programme represents a major step forward in the delivery of preventative healthcare across Scotland.

“It will empower people with pre-diabetes via easily accessible technology to make meaningful lifestyle changes that will significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is proud to support this initiative through the ANIA programme. It’s a scalable, evidence-based solution that will support people to improve their own health and wellbeing over nine months.

“It will improve patient outcomes and reduce demand on NHS services through reducing the growth of type 2 diabetes across Scotland.”

There are 310,000 people living with type 2 diabetes in Scotland, representing more than 5% of the population. In 2023, more than 25,000 new cases were diagnosed and the number is predicted to reach 420,000 by 2044.

Type 2 diabetes | NHS inform