Removing barriers for migrant workers in Scotland’s care sector
Migrant social care workers impacted by the UK Government’s changes to immigration policy are to be offered targeted support in Scotland.
In the year ending June 2025, the number of Health and Care Worker visas issued to migrant workers in Caring Personal Service Occupations fell by 88%, following restrictions introduced by the UK Government to the visa route.
The subsequent decision by the UK Home Office in July to close the Social Care Visa Route altogether will have a further impact on the social care sector.
According to a Scottish Care survey, more than a quarter of the social care workforce in Scotland is made up by international workers – with many sector leaders citing concerns with workforce shortages and recruitment.
The Scottish Government is continuing to call on the Home Office to reverse its decision to close the route and is investing £500,000 to fund a tailored offer to help ‘displaced’ international social care workers who have found themselves without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK at no fault of their own.
The funding will be used to help support international social care workers meet the costs associated with moving to and working in Scotland’s social care sector.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The UK Government’s hostile and restrictive migration policies are damaging Scotland’s health and social care sector.
“In Scotland we need a migration system that works for our NHS, our social care sector, our businesses and third sector. Until we have the full powers over migration that will come with independence, we will do all we can within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament to mitigate the UK Government’s harmful approach to migration.
“I am therefore pleased to confirm today that the Scottish Government will create a bespoke offering to help social care workers who have been displaced to come to Scotland and contribute to our care sector.
“We will provide £500,000 to mitigate the devastating impact of the UK Government’s closure of the care worker visa route and provide targeted support to help displaced social care workers.
“This will support international social care workers already in the UK who have lost their social care jobs as a result of their employer losing their visa sponsor licence, to come to Scotland and contribute their valuable skills to our social care sector.
“It is our intention for this work to begin immediately so that social care workers can settle into new jobs before Christmas.”
MyCare.scot, Scotland’s new health and social care online app, will be made available to everyone across Scotland from April 2026, following an initial launch in Lanarkshire in December.
The new online service will transform how people access and interact with health and social care services. Users will be provided with a secure digital identity, access to some personal information and the national service finder from NHS inform.
The initial launch in Lanarkshire will be targeted at dermatology outpatients. It will be evaluated thoroughly, with the app’s development reflecting user feedback and experience before being rolled out progressively across Scotland from April.
Following initial roll-out, MyCare will be expanded to hospital-based services, before including other areas of the health and social care system, including GP practices, pharmacy, social work and social care.
Today’s announcement coincides with the final day of Scotland’s National Innovation Week. Once the rollout is complete, MyCare will be the most wide-ranging app offered to patients anywhere in the UK.
Today we’re announcing the new online app for health and social care in Scotland giving you access to your records and appointments in the palm of your hand.
MyCare will be live across the country from April 2026 and a pilot in Lanarkshire this December.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “MyCare.scot is the single biggest digital innovation in Scotland’s health and social care system and will revolutionise how people manage and receive their healthcare.
“The introduction of this app will be a landmark moment for Scotland and aligns with the commitments this Government has made to bringing down waiting lists, and making care more personal and closer to home.
“Our initial launch in NHS Lanarkshire will help us ensure the MyCare app is robust, safe, secure, and meets peoples’ needs. I am delighted we will then see a population-wide rollout from April and we have today published a high-level summary rollout plan setting out our approach.
“We have worked closely with NHS Education for Scotland and key stakeholders to develop MyCare.scot, and I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to help us reach this stage and to ensure we deliver rollout of the app across the country from April.”
Scottish Government and local partners must act now to protect vital palliative care services
St Columba’s Hospice Care and Marie Curie Edinburgh are warning that essential palliative and end-of-life care services are now at serious risk due to funding decisions made by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and inaction by the Scottish Government.
The HSCP has chosen to reverse a 3% inflationary uplift in funding to hospices, which they committed to earlier in the year. This decision was taken in reaction to the Scottish Government announcement of an additional £5 million to help hospices address workforce pressures.
That £5 million was solely intended to support hospices with the recruitment and retention of skilled staff during a time of extreme pressure, not to replace existing funding agreements.
This decision from HSCP undermines the purpose of the allocation and places essential palliative and end-of-life services across the Lothians at risk. To date, St Columba’s Hospice Care has not received its share of the £5 million, which is approximately £496,000. The delay is creating further financial uncertainty and threatening frontline services for patients and families.
We call on the Scottish Government and HSCP to:
Reinstate the 3% inflationary uplift immediately.
Release the national pay parity funding without delay.
Commit to a national review of hospice funding to ensure equity and sustainability across Scotland.
Jackie Stone, CEO, St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:“Hospice’s are being pushed to make very difficult decisions that may impact on our patients and families. This reversal sends a devastating message to our staff and to the families we care for that fair pay and essential services are negotiable. They are not.
“The Scottish Government made a public commitment to fair pay and sustainable services, but we are being left with broken promises and growing deficits.
“We urge the Scottish Government and local partnerships to act now before we are forced to withdraw services that thousands of people across Edinburgh and the Lothians rely on every year.”
Hospices are an integral part of Scotland’s healthcare system and must be treated as such. They need sustainable, equitable funding. The government must act now to ensure a consistent national approach to hospice funding.
Hospices deliver vital, high-quality care that the NHS relies on, and they must be supported, not penalised, for working to achieve fair pay for their staff.
Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, working alongside our partners in the Thrive Collective, is deeply disappointed by the recent decision of the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board (EIJB) to end the Thrive contract for Physical Activities and Greenspaces from the end of November.
Through Thrive, we and our partners have worked in close collaboration with communities, health services, and local organisations to provide inclusive opportunities that improve physical and mental wellbeing.
We are proud of the collective impact that this work has had for people across Edinburgh, particularly those experiencing health inequalities.
This follows the earlier decision to withdraw grant funding for our Healthy Lifestyles work in South Edinburgh. Together, these cuts represent a significant reduction in support for programmes that enable communities across the city to access the health and wellbeing benefits of nature, physical activity, and local greenspaces.
The decision will have a real impact on the 1250 participants who rely on these programmes to support their physical health, mental wellbeing, and sense of social connection. Many of the people we work with face health inequalities and barriers to accessing mainstream services, and these activities have provided an essential lifeline.
Charlie Cumming, ELGT Chief Executive, confirmed the loss of this funding will directly affect our capacity to deliver dedicated programmes that improve health through engagement with local greenspaces.
It will also reduce the resources that are community-based, accessible, and effective alternatives to clinical treatment—helping people recover and build resilience outside of primary care settings.
Despite this setback, ELGT remain committed to championing greenspaces and active lives as vital to Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing.
We will continue to explore new ways of sustaining this essential work and will seek to secure funding that ensures these opportunities remain accessible to the communities who need them most.
We would like to sincerely thank all participants, volunteers, and partner organisations who have engaged with us.
Your commitment and enthusiasm highlight just how much this work matters and the difference it makes across the city.
EDINBURGH Integration Joint Board has reined back on plans to slash services delivered on their behalf by third sector organisations across the city. The EIJB is trying to tackle a massive funding deficit but bowed to pressure to rethink their plans at a meeting yesterday.
Change Mental Health is relieved that the Stafford Centre and services delivered in Edinburgh by the organisation are effectively safeguarded, for the time being, following yesterday’s decision by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB). However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure better collaboration leading to better outcomes.
Nick Ward, CEO of Change Mental Health, said: “While this is good news for the people who use our services, we remain clear that the proposed cuts were in themselves not needed. They represented a tiny part of the EIJB’s budget while having a significant, detrimental effect upon Edinburgh’s population.
“The process they put in place was fundamentally flawed in its approach, causing unnecessary distress to both organisations and service users. It has been disheartening for the third sector to have to continually make the argument that cutting early intervention and prevention services will only ever result in greater costs in the end.
“The fact remains that there are still significant cuts taking place to mental health services in the city and our sympathy and solidarity goes out to those charities affected. We are very disappointed and concerned that many of these cuts have been passed that disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and LGBT+ people.
“We called for the EIJB’s proposals to be paused to allow for a full, evidence-led and co-produced redesign of services. That appears to be what will now happen and we are grateful for that.
“We will now be a part of a crucial recommissioning exercise that can enable services to be more integrated and cost-effective through a better collaborative approach.
“However, trust needs to be rebuilt. There needs to be full transparency and a genuine dedication to working with the third sector by the EIJB, as well as a commitment to the principles of community-based early intervention and preventative approaches. We’re here to work closely with them, along with our partners, to ensure that we can truly meet the needs of our communities.”
Speaking after the meeting, Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said:“We are in a mental health crisis, and community and preventative mental health support is an essential part of how we tackle it.
“We welcome the IJB’s decision not to go ahead with the original proposals which would have effectively ended that support in Edinburgh. However, we are disappointed that a number of impactful support and advocacy services have been cut.
“This process has shown that we need to come together – funders, providers and especially the people who need this support – to jointly design a mental health system that works for and meets the needs of the people of Edinburgh.
“Redhall Walled Garden will continue to provide essential support to people with mental health problems for the time being, albeit with reduced funding and a recommissioning process to come.
“We’re hugely grateful to everyone that came out in support of Redhall, including Edinburgh’s politicians, members of the public and, most importantly, the people we support at Redhall and who make it what it is.”
The IJB voted in favour of the proposals relating to agenda item 6.1.
Foysol Choudhury MSP has called on the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) to pause £29 million of proposed cuts to health and social care, warning that the measures would have devastating consequences for vulnerable people across the city.
The EIJB is set to decide on the cuts today. If approved, they could result in:
More than 4,000 people losing community mental health support
£2.2 million of Thrive Edinburgh contracts cancelled
82% of Collective Advocacy at CAPS disappearing by November
Closure of services such as Pilton Community Health Project and Bipolar Edinburgh
Mr Choudhury said: “I recognise that the Board faces huge financial pressures. These are difficult decisions that no one wishes to make. However, the reality is that the EIJB has been forced into this impossible position because of chronic underfunding from the SNP Government.
“These cuts are not just about numbers on a balance sheet. They represent real people losing vital support, families, communities, and some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable being left without the services they rely upon.
“I urge the Board to carefully consider the human impact, not just the balance sheet; and to pause these cuts. Edinburgh deserves sustainable funding, not short-term measures that will cause long-term harm. Services must remain available to users while new approaches are explored.”
Clubs, schools, day centres and other community settings could help to make health and care more accessible, new research suggests.
Familiar places like these could remove barriers to care, like not being sure if there is a health or care issue, where to go, how to get there, who to see or what to tell the health or care practitioner.
This is one of more than 20 recommendations made by people across the UK who researchers say are rarely consulted about the design of health and social care services.
A new report coins the term ‘seldom-listened-to’ to describe these people and communities. The researchers also coin the term ‘health labour’ to describe the effort needed by seldom-listened-to people to access health and care.
Participants in the research included siblings of children with life-limiting conditions; women, trans men, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people with energy limiting chronic illness, such as Long Covid and autoimmune conditions; older autistic people with learning disabilities; people living with chronic inflammatory disease, endometriosis; rural communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland; diverse communities in Greater Manchester; children living in areas of high deprivation in the South Tees region; African-Caribbean communities in London; mental health service users in Kent and both patients and staff who are staying or working in care units in hospitals.
“The people in our study are from communities which aren’t often listened to or included in discussions about the design of health and care services,” explained Professor Mary Stewart, academic lead for the project and Director of Social Interaction, Mental Health and Wellbeing at Heriot-Watt University.
“And yet these communities can experience profound health and care inequalities that can impact on their physical and mental health, quality of life, and the ability to live well – not only for the individual – but also their families and the wider community.
“Our research sets out the specific ways in which staff, organisations, stakeholders, and policymakers can place seldom-listened-to individuals and communities at the heart of the design of the future of health and care.
“We show not only that this is possible – but that it’s vital to co-design the future of health and care with these people and communities to improve health and care for everyone.”
The report is part of research funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – which supports arts and humanities research and study in the UK – and uses creative methods to explore how seldom-listened-to people and groups would like the future of health and social care to look.
Instead of using traditional research methods like surveys and interviews – which aren’t always accessible to seldom-listened-to people – the researchers worked with artists and creative methods to capture the views and experiences of participants. These creative methods included film, music, poetry, podcasts, comics, creative writing and folk stories.
Through a series of activities and workshops, the seldom-listened-to participants ‘reimagined’ health and social care services which could give them more say in decision-making, help them to access and engage with care – and use safer spaces to build trust and rapport.
Research co-author Bryony Nisbet, a Psychology Research Assistant at Heriot-Watt University, explained: “By safer spaces, we mean community places that are already familiar to people, and where they may already have support from trusted others.
“For example, if you’re an autistic adult with learning disabilities, accessing health and care in a day centre you already attend potentially removes the huge physical and sensory overload of trying to get to and navigate around a new place you’ve never been to before.
“For the NHS and social care, the practical change we’re proposing is moving the point of care from GP surgeries into the community. This in turn can help to tackle the growing burden on primary care in the UK.”
Other recommendations in the report include providing multidisciplinary services that span sectors including housing, employment and education – alongside health and care.
Care should also anticipate future needs, for example by developing ‘future-ready homes’ that are already adapted to meet the needs of vulnerable groups as they get older.
The report also recommends that professionals are trained to work with people with varying communication, cognitive, sensory and cultural needs.
The research aligns with the UK government’s 10-year plan to bring the NHS closer to home, including neighbourhood health centres which will house services under one roof and will be open at evenings and weekends.
The researchers have written a policy brief detailing their recommendations for policymakers. This will be shared with politicians across the UK, including Members of the Scottish Parliament and Members of Parliament at Westminster.
The ten projects in the research were all partnerships between communities, community organisations and universities. The other university partners were University of Liverpool, University of Greenwich, University of Strathclyde, Edge Hill University in Lancashire, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Teeside University, University of Kent and University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness.
The organisations and charities involved in the research included disability group Chronic Illness Inclusion, Manchester public arts project We Live Here; charity Endometriosis UK; Scottish Autism; educational institution Tees Valley Education Trust and arts community outreach project, Inverness Openarts.
Participants in the research included Oliver Waite, who took part in University of Manchester’s research project, called NHS 75/150 Looking Back, Looking Forwards. This engaged diverse communities in Greater Manchester in discussions around the future of health and care. Oliver’s story is captured in a comic-book style artwork that highlights the importance of seeing people as individuals.
Oliver explained: “I have schizoaffective disorder, I’m autistic and I’ve transitioned from female to male. But I’m more than just a list of medical issues.
“I’m a part-time history student with the Open University, I build models, such as Lego, and I play wheelchair rugby league.”
She said: “African-Caribbean communities are 40% more likely than white British people to come into contact with mental health services and to be detained under the Mental Health Act. “
Our project looked at a different approach, one that builds on the cultural traditions and community support that have always helped people stay mentally well. Through storytelling and folk song workshops, we created a practical toolkit to help promote good mental health in local communities”
She said: “The children and young people in our project were able to explore and express their lived experiences and perspectives on social inequality and health and wellbeing through a series of interactive and inclusive workshops, including comic-making, creative writing, dance and performance.
“We hope the artworks, creative writing and films that captured their voices will help health professionals, policy makers, researchers and the wider public to learn from the experience and insights of children and young people.”
Review recommendations will benefit patients, staff and students
People affected by mental health issues can expect higher and more consistent standards of care following the publication of Scotland’s Mental Health Nursing Review.
The Review outlines ways to enhance and further support the mental health nursing profession. The paper was developed by mental health nurses and students, academics, with support from carers and people accessing mental health nursing care.
The Review makes a total of 24 recommendations including:
ensuring people accessing services have meaningful involvement in their mental health nursing care
improving support for newly qualified mental health nurses and sharing best practice
considering specific education needs for rural and island settings
improving access to post-registration learning for mental health nurses across all sectors
A new Mental Health Nursing Review Implementation Group will be established to ensure effective collaboration, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the Review actions.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “Through their expert care, compassion and dedication, mental health nursing staff make a significant and positive impact to people’s health and wellbeing every day.
“The Review focuses on their unique role, and it will ensure the profession is supported and empowered to drive the enhancement of mental health and wellbeing services now, and in the future.
“I want to thank all the mental health nursing staff and students, academics, carers and those people accessing care who engaged with and supported this work.
“I am looking forward to working collaboratively to deliver the ambition of ensuring Scotland is the best place for mental health nursing to flourish and where people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.”
Chair of Scotland’s first Mental Health Nursing Review, former Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Alex McMahon said: “It has been an honour as a mental health nurse to have chaired the review and to have heard from mental health nurses and those that represent people who use services across Scotland.
“The report and its recommendations, mean that patients and mental health nurses who deliver services now and, in the future, will benefit from the reforms.
“It will be important to ensure these recommendations are implemented, and one aspiration I and others share is that we will attract and retain even more people into undergraduate nursing degree programmes.
“I believe being a mental health nurse, is one of the best and most fulfilling careers you can chose.”
Mark Richards, Associate Chief Nursing Officer said: “Our Mental Health Nursing Review highlights the vital role mental health nurses play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
During our work on the Review, we heard that mental health nurses are at the heart of care delivery and that their relational expertise often has a transformational impact on people’s lives.
“Mental health nurses told us they are proud of the work they do. They strive every day to deliver compassionate, high-quality care, and to work with people who need expert support to enable recovery and promote wellbeing.
“This Review is important in advancing the contribution of mental health nurses and will help ensure we have a profession that is skilled, well supported and sustainable – now and for many years to come.
“It was collectively produced by our mental health nurses in Scotland, and I look forward to us working together to deliver our ambitions.”
Darren Fullarton, Associate Nurse Director for NHS Ayrshire and Arran and Chair of the Mental Health Nurse Leads Group for Scotland, said: “The national review of mental health nursing recognises and celebrates the important role that mental health nurses play in their support and compassionate care for people experiencing mental health issues.
“The National Mental Health Nurse Lead Group are delighted to have had the opportunity to support this significant piece of work which captures views from those with lived experience, families and carers and from mental health nurses themselves to develop an ambitious vision for mental health nurses that exemplifies our commitment to care, compassion and connection.”
Supporting people to lead longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives will be at the heart of two new ten-year plans published today to create and maintain good health, prevent disease and reform health and social care services.
The Population Health Framework aims to tackle the root causes of poor health and outlines a wide range of actions, including giving greater access to green spaces and opportunities for sport and active recreation.
Addressing these underlying factors can increase life expectancy, reduce the gap between the most deprived communities and the national average and prevent chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease which disproportionately affect those in more disadvantaged areas.
The Population Health Framework includes legislating to make the balance of foods available on promotion healthier and to restrict the location of less healthy foods in stores and on websites.
Targeting the location and promotion of foods high in fat, salt or sugar will focus on those foods of most concern for childhood obesity, which mirrors the current policy in England and Wales.
The Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework aims to ensure health and social care services are sustainable, efficient, high quality, and accessible – which includes being able to expect faster and fairer access to care.
It empowers people to be more involved in and in charge of their own care and includes measures to improve access to treatment in the community; enhance preventative services and maximise the opportunities of digital innovation.
There will also be a new national body called NHS Delivery, created by bringing together NHS National Services Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland.
This will provide a focal point for training, digital and support to other health boards, with scope to deliver more national support to local services in future.
Health Secretary Neil Gray visited Blackburn Partnership Centre in West Lothian with COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson Councillor Paul Kelly before launching the frameworks in the Scottish Parliament.
The centre includes a GP practice and community centre which promotes weight loss and healthy living through exercise and low-cost, nutritious food.
Mr Gray said: “Too many lives are cut short in Scotland because of illness that is preventable. We know health is not determined solely by what happens within the walls of hospitals or care homes and we want to create an environment in which everyone can live a healthy life.
“Through action on early years, jobs, income and building powerful communities the Population Health Framework builds the conditions to help people thrive and prevent poor health.
“Addressing the problem of obesity and helping people eat well and maintain a healthy weight is a public health priority. We are taking wide-ranging action to support people to make healthier food choices, recognising the contribution which poor diet makes to worsening health trends.
“Through the Service Renewal Framework we will take action to deliver care closer to home, support people to better manage their own treatment and build on innovation, digital and treatment advances.
“This will help shape an efficient health and social care system that is focused on prevention and early intervention, and delivers high quality care at the right time in the right place. The creation of a new national body, NHS Delivery, will help to support that journey.
“Refocusing the whole system towards preventing ill-health from occurring or escalating can help us ensure the sustainability of our National Health Service. I am determined to ensure the measures outlined are delivered effectively and as quickly as possible as we work to transform the health of the nation.”
Cllr Kelly said: “Health is created in the communities in which we live, go to school or work, and access essential services. It is at the local level where we find the key levers to tackle the root causes of health problems and ensure people live long, healthy and fulfilling lives. Local Authorities, working with key partners, are uniquely placed to shape our communities.
“The Population Health Framework sets out action across every building block of health. Committing to this preventative approach requires whole system working in order to intervene as early as possible and provide support to people in all aspects of their lives.
“Currently, people from deprived communities have less access to affordable, nutritious food. The Population Health Framework sets out a priority to improve the food environment and ensure access to a healthy, balanced diet is accessible and affordable to all.
“Alongside this, Local Government is committed to improving public services across the whole system, and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework sets out our high level ambition for improving the sustainability of the system and services people may need in order to help them live healthier, fulfilled lives.”
Obesity Action Scotland Chair Andrew Fraser said: “Obesity Action Scotland welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to taking progressive measures on retail food and drink promotions.
“They will improve the food environment and protect consumers from in-store choices that encourage people to purchase food that is high in fat, sugar and salt.
“Promotions result in over-consumption of calories, and make it easy to gain weight; measures that counter this pressure on consumers will contribute to the prevention of overweight and obesity that we want to see.”
