Scottish Government campaign aims to help fill vacant posts
A marketing campaign to support the recruitment of more adult social care workers has launched To help address the high level of vacancies in the sector.
The campaign – titled ‘there is more to care than caring’ – will raise awareness of the career opportunities available in adult social care and encourage people to apply. Activity includes radio, outdoor and digital advertising, highlighting the important work done by adult social care workers.
It is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to attract more people to work in adult social care, retain existing staff and raise its status as a profession. This builds on a pay uplift for all adult social care staff which guarantees them a minimum of at least £10.90 an hour from this April.
Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart visited Leuchie House in North Berwick yesterday to see the work it does to support people affected by stroke, multiple sclerosis and neurological conditions.
Mr Stewart said: “Working in adult social care can be challenging but offers the opportunity to have a hugely positive impact on people’s lives on a daily basis.
“We are increasing pay, improving terms and conditions in the sector, and developing clear career pathways for the workforce, ahead of the introduction of the National Care Service. This will lead to more rewarding roles for the existing adult social care workforce, and for new entrants to the profession.
“This campaign highlights that while relevant experience can help, it is core interpersonal skills such as communication, compassion, empathy and respect that are most highly valued. If these are skills you possess then adult social care could be the career for you.”
New analysis by IFS researchers shows the stark funding challenges facing the Scottish Government, and the public services it is responsible for, over the next five years and beyond.
In the next two financial years, the budget for day-to-day non-benefit spending looks very tight:
After taking account of in-year funding top-ups this financial year, which under current plans will not be available in 2023–24, funding will fall by 1.6% in real terms in 2023–24 compared with this year. Even after adjusting for major one-off costs this year, such as council tax rebates, the reduction will still be 0.8%.
Official projections imply that funding will fall by a further 1.6% in real terms in 2024–25, and then grow only modestly over the next three years. This means that funding is set to be almost 2% lower in 2027–28 than in 2022–23.
Such cuts would imply difficult trade-offs for the Scottish Government. Increasing spending on health to meet rising costs and demand, and boosting spending on net zero policies could require cuts of around 13% to other public service spending between 2023 and 2027.
These are among the key findings of two pre-released chapters from the inaugural IFS Scottish Budget Report, focusing on the Scottish Government’s funding outlook and devolved income tax revenue performance. Other key findings include:
Medium-term outlook
The baseline projections above rely on Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) forecasts of a significant improvement in income tax revenues. This largely reflects faster expected growth in Scotland’s underlying income tax base relative to the rest of the UK, rather than the effects of tax rises announced in the Scottish Budget last month. If this faster growth doesn’t materialise, then the Scottish Government’s choices would be harder still, with funding for non-benefits spending in 2027–28 still 5% below 2022–23 levels.
The faster growth in Scotland’s tax base forecast for the next few years follows a period during which the tax base has grown more slowly than in the rest of the UK. Because of this, SFC forecasts imply that even by 2026–27, almost one-third of the yield from Scotland’s higher income tax rates will be offset by slower tax base growth since the devolution of income tax in 2016–17. This would still be a substantial improvement from this financial year though, for which the SFC estimates that revenues from Scotland’s income tax policy changes since devolution will be more than fully offset by slower underlying growth in the tax base.
Long-term outlook
While the Barnett formula used by the UK government to allocate funding is often thought to benefit Scotland, in the long term it is likely to lead to relatively smaller increases in funding for Scotland than for England. The speed of this ‘Barnett squeeze’ depends on the rate of growth in spending in England (both real-terms growth and that which merely offsets inflation), and the rate of population growth in Scotland relative to England.
Using long-term projections for inflation and GDP growth from the Office for Budget Responsibility, assuming public spending is held constant as a share of GDP, and taking into account population projections from the Office for National Statistics, we project Scottish Government funding per person would increase by an average of 1.2% per year in real terms over the 30 years between 2027–28 and 2057–58. This compares to an average of 1.4% in England over the same period. Under this scenario, spending per person in Scotland would fall from 124% of English levels in 2027–28, to 121% in 2032–33, and to 115% in 2057–58.
Faster real-terms spending growth in England to meet the rising costs of health and social care (which are expected to grow faster than GDP) would result in bigger absolute increases in funding for the Scottish Government, making it easier for it to meet these costs in Scotland. However, it would increase the Barnett squeeze on funding levels relative to England – making it harder for the Scottish Government to maintain enhanced levels of service provision over and above those in England.
Bee Boileau, a research economist at the IFS and an author of the report said: “Additional funding from the UK government and a forecast boost to devolved tax revenues mean the outlook for funding has improved a little since last May’s Resource Spending Review.
“But the picture is far from rosy. Official projections imply that funding for non-benefit spending is set to fall over the next two years and then grow only slowly over the following three years. Indeed, it would still be close to 2% below 2022–23 levels in 2027–28. And that assumes a significant improvement in the performance of Scotland’s devolved income tax revenues – without that, this funding would be close to 5% lower than this year in 2027–28.
If either of these scenarios were borne out, the Scottish Government would likely need to make significant cuts to a range of public services. Further big increases in devolved tax rates would be one way to avoid such cuts.
“The Scottish Government will instead be hoping for additional funding from the UK government – which may not be in vain as the UK government would also need to make cuts to many services if it sticks to the plans for spending it has pencilled in.’
David Phillips, an associate director at the IFS, and another author of the report said:‘The Scottish Government’s long-term funding outlook beyond 2027–28 will also be determined, to a large extent, by UK government spending decisions via the Barnett formula.
“This formula is often seen to benefit the Scottish Government, by providing it with a much higher level of funding per person than is available for comparable services in England.
But this is a misunderstanding of the nature of the formula and its purpose. Because it provides the Scottish Government with a population-based share of funding changes planned for England, and Scotland starts with a higher-than-population share of funding, it delivers a smaller percentage increase in funding for Scotland than England.
This so-called Barnett squeeze will make it more difficult for the Scottish Government to meet rising costs and the demands on public services associated with an ageing population, and to maintain enhanced service provision relative to England, such as free personal care and free university education, in the longer term.”
Minister urges people to check eligibility for support
People struggling to pay their council tax during the cost of living crisis are being encouraged to check if they are eligible for money off their bill.
The Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme is unique to Scotland and helps people on low incomes save an average of £750 a year on their council tax bill. Those eligible can also save up to 35% on their water and waste charges.
The latest figures published by the Scottish Government show 455,220 recipients received CTR in November 2022, meaning around one-in-five households were benefitting from the scheme.
Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur visited Citizens Advice and Rights Fife yesterday to meet staff advising people on dealing with the cost of living crisis. He said: “We know that this cost of living crisis is hammering people on lower incomes and those already living in poverty. It is vital that people know where to go to get advice and support.
“The Council Tax Reduction scheme will celebrate its tenth anniversary in April and Scottish households have saved more than £3 billion on their council tax since it was introduced. The support it provides has never been more important and I urge people to check whether they are eligible.
“Information can be obtained from your local Citizens Advice Bureau – like the excellent facility I visited in Glenrothes today – local councils and the Money Talk Team service promoted by the Scottish Government, as well as online.”
Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice and Rights Fife, David Redpath, said: “We are experiencing unprecedented demand for advice on how to maximise incomes to the cost of living crisis.
“Council Tax Reduction plays a key role in making budgets stretch further and we encourage people to check if they are eligible for a reduction, discount or even an exemption from paying council tax.
“Citizens Advice and Rights Fife is here to help people find ways to ease the cost of living whether that is council tax or any other daily living costs.”
There were 21,825 all-sector new build homes completed in Scotland in the year to end June 2022, according to quarterly statistics on housebuilding and affordable housing supply published today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.
This is an increase of 9% (1,806 homes) on the 20,019 completions in the previous year. Increases were seen across private-led new build completions (4% or 615 homes), local authority new build completions (27% or 540 homes), and housing association new build completions (21% or 651 homes).
Meanwhile the number of new build homes started across all sectors decreased by 13% (2,765 homes), with 19,060 starts in the year to end June 2022, down from 21,825 starts in the previous year. Private-led new build starts decreased by 15% (2,611 homes) and local authority new build starts dropped by 12% (234 homes), whilst housing association new build approvals increased by 3% (80 homes).
Separate figures published as part of the UK House Price Index show a total of 12,013 private new build sales transactions in Scotland in the year to end August 2022, up 4% (508 transactions) on the 11,505 transactions recorded in the year to end August 2021.
Latest social sector new housebuilding figures for the year to end September 2022 show an increase of 17% (982 homes) to 6,704 completions, with local authority completions rising by 40% (799 homes) to 2,792 and housing association completions up by 5% (183 homes) to 3,912.
However social sector starts fell by 16% (797 homes) to 4,161, with local authority starts increasing slightly by 1% (11 homes) to 1,910 and housing association approvals decreasing by 26% (808 homes) to 2,251.
Affordable Housing Supply Programme
Separate quarterly statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply programme show there were a total of 2,565 affordable homes completed in the latest quarter July to September 2022. This brings the total number of affordable homes completed in the 12 months to end September 2022 to 9,449, an increase of 2% (219 homes) on the 9,230 homes completed in the previous year. There were increases in the number of completions for social rent by 17% (1,127 homes), however affordable rent completions decreased by 28% (387 homes), and affordable home ownership completions fell by 42% (521 homes).
Meanwhile there were 1,028 affordable homes approved in the latest quarter July to September 2022, which brings the total number of affordable homes approved in the 12 months to end June 2022 to 7,160, a decrease of 16% (1,414 homes) on the 8,574 homes approved in the previous year. There were decreases in the number of approvals for social rent (by 13%, or 813 homes), affordable rent (by 18%, or 195 homes), and affordable home ownership (by 37%, or 406 homes).
There were 2,172 affordable homes started in the latest quarter July to September 2022, which brings the total number of affordable homes started in the 12 months to end September 2022 to 8,256, a decrease of 19% (1,877 homes) on the 10,133 started in the previous year. There were decreases in the number of starts for social rent (by 11%, or 804 homes), affordable rent (by 37%, or 548 homes), and affordable home ownership (by 42%, or 525 homes).
Quarterly affordable housing supply statistics are used to inform progress against Scottish Government affordable housing delivery targets, in which the ambition is to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70% will be for social rent and 10% will be in remote, rural and island communities.
There have been a total of 4,927 completions so far against the 110,000 target, across the period 23 March 2022 to 30 September 2022, consisting of 4,188 (85%) homes for social rent, 418 (8%) for affordable rent, and 321 (7%) for affordable home ownership
Figures on the remote, rural and island communities element of the target are planned to be reported on as part of future annual affordable housing supply out-turn reports, although we are considering whether it is feasible for these figures to be reported on a quarterly basis in addition to this.
Latest annual figures on long term empty and second homes
The 42,865 long-term empty properties as at September 2022 is a decrease of 2% (901 properties) from the 43,766 properties in 2021. Across the same time period the number of second homes has increased by 2% (397 homes) from 23,890 to 24,287.
New legislation to prevent the chasing and killing of wild mammals for sport has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Government’s Hunting with Dogs Bill will close loopholes in existing laws that have allowed the practice of illegal hunting to continue. A new two dog limit for all use of dogs in the course of hunting will be introduced, as well as a ban on the practice of trail hunting.
The Bill also establishes a new licencing scheme to allow the use of more than two dogs in certain limited circumstances. This is to provide farmers and land managers access to appropriate and humane control measures, where necessary.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “This Bill represents a significant step forward in protecting Scotland’s wildlife from the cruel and senseless practice of illegal hunting,
“I am pleased that the Parliament has agreed on a new law which will close the door on the illegal chasing and killing of mammals once and for all.
“I’d like to thank everyone who responded to our public consultations and interested groups for their valuable input throughout this process.
“I believe that this new legislation has struck the right balance between ensuring Scotland pursues the highest possible animal welfare standards, while recognising the need for farmers, land managers and environmental organisations to undertake legitimate wildlife management.”
The vote was passed by 90 for and 30 against, with no abstentions.
The new legislation was introduced last year, two decades after a failed attempt by the Scottish Parliament to ban hunting with the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act, back in 2002.
The new Bill will bring into force a number of measures which significantly curtail mounted hunting activity, including reducing the number of dogs which can be used to hunt a wild mammal to just two, instead of a full pack, and reducing the number of dogs which can be used below ground to just one.
The Bill also includes a preemptive ban on trail hunting. Trail hunting is a sport which was created after hunting was banned in England and Wales following the passing of the Hunting Act in 2004. Its inclusion in the Bill means trail hunting can not be established north of the border.
The League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, has welcomed the new legislation. Director Robbie Marsland said: “As of today, Scotland has the most robust law anywhere in the UK to prevent the cruelty of chasing and killing wild mammals for sport – and this is something to celebrate.
“Despite a persistent campaign from those resolute to keep hunting alive in the Scottish countryside, the Scottish Government has been determined to end the sport of hunting, a sentiment which has today been supported by the Parliament.
“The passing of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill now provides an opportunity to right the wrongs of the last two decades and close the loopholes which allowed hunters to continue with hunting as though the law didn’t exist.
“The inclusion of a ban on trail hunting is a significant victory for Scotland, meaning hunts will not be able to use this so-called sport as a smokescreen for traditional hunting.”
The new Bill also includes a licensing system which will allow for a full pack of hounds to be used in certain circumstances. The detail of the scheme has yet to be developed but animal welfare campaigners have concerns this has the potential to be exploited.
Robbie Marslandadded: “After twenty years of flawed legislation it is critical that this Bill is not simply a way of creating new loopholes for hunters to exploit, and the League is yet to be convinced the licensing scheme won’t do this.
“Despite the best of intentions to ban hunting, the determination and deep rooted defiance among those who wish to chase and kill foxes should not be underestimated. The League will work closely with Nature Scot and other stakeholders to ensure the licensing system is robust, effective and fit for purpose.”
Commenting from Holyrood, Scottish Countryside Alliance Director Jake Swindells said: “Whilst it is frustrating that so much time and resource has been wasted on this Bill, the licensing scheme is, at least, an explicit acceptance by the Scottish Government that the use of packs of dogs in wildlife management is effective and necessary.”
The Hunting with Dogs Bill is expected to receive royal assent in the next few weeks and come into force in the autumn.
Scotland’s teacher unions have expressed their collective anger and disappointment with the continuing lack of progress in pay negotiations with the Scottish Government and COSLA.
An SNCT negotiating meeting that was held last Friday, which was again labelled as “positive and constructive” by the Scottish Government and COSLA, once again failed to result in any progress whatsoever toward a new pay offer to Scotland’s teachers.
While trade unions remain committed to a fair pay agreement, negotiated through the SNCT, teachers’ representatives are increasingly questioning whether the Scottish Government and COSLA truly share this commitment. No further negotiation meetings of the SNCT are currently scheduled.
Commenting, Des Morris – EIS Salaries Convener and Chair of the Teachers’ Side of the SNCT – said, “It is becoming increasingly clear that both the Scottish Government and COSLA have little or no interest in finding the modest additional funding that could bring a new offer to the table to potentially end this pay dispute.
“Five months since their sub-inflationary 5% pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected by teachers, and more than two months since a rehashed version of the same offer was again rejected, the Scottish Government and COSLA brought absolutely nothing new to the table in last week’s meeting – just a stubborn stance that Scotland’s teachers should accept 5% which represents yet another substantial real-terms pay cut that only further erodes the value of teachers’ pay.
“The reality is that the union side wants to negotiate, and has offered a wide range of suggestions towards the potential ‘compromise’ that the First Minister and her Cabinet Secretary have said is needed to reach agreement.
“We have had absolutely no proposals from the Scottish Government and COSLA, however – merely the same old tired lines, and a repeated and unreasonable insistence that all of the ‘compromise’ must come from Scotland’s teachers.”
Mr Morris added, “It is disingenuous and unacceptable for the Scottish Government and COSLA to continue to misrepresent negotiations as positive and constructive.
“The cold, hard truth is that, despite all their public claims of ‘working tirelessly’ and ‘turning over every stone’ to reach agreement, their entrenched position and refusal to offer any compromise at all leaves teachers, children and young people, and their parents facing the prospect of continuing and escalating strike action in Scotland’s schools.
“The ongoing and planned strike action is entirely avoidable. The Scottish Government and COSLA need to come forward with a genuinely improved offer that unions can put to our members.”
SSTA to Take Two Further Days of Strike Action
The SSTA National Executive has, following another failed SNCT negotiating meeting, authorised two days of strike action on Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 March.
The SSTA will be joining members of sister unions in national strike action in a coordinated campaign of industrial action.
Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said: “The SSTA has taken a measured approach to industrial action due to the impact it would have on the pupils preparing for exams.
“The deliberate inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA just shows the lack of respect and level of contempt, not only for teachers, but for the pupils they teach, forcing teachers to take more strike action. The Scottish Government and its accomplice COSLA are failing education, having deliberately refused to put any new money on the table since August last year”.
“The Scottish Government and COSLA were adamant during the pandemic that schools needed to be kept open and education needed to be continued regardless of the risks and dangers that teachers were placed in. These are the same people who have allowed this pay dispute to continue, see schools closed and pupils’ education disrupted. How can these people sit on their hands and seek compromise when they have refused to make any movement in five months?”
“How many more times are teachers to hear the same old rhetoric ‘we value teachers, and we are putting together a new offer’ only for another week to pass without a penny being put on the table. The SSTA has no option but to step up its industrial action”.
Catherine Nicol, SSTAPresident said. “Teacher unions are standing together and, with the support of the public and parents, we will succeed. However, we urge parents and members of the public to help by demanding action from the First Minister and Councils and get teachers back to school teaching”.
“Teachers have been propping up the education system for years by working many more hours a week than they are paid for and this goodwill is running out due to the arrogance of the employers and government who appear to want to break teachers resolve. I can assure them teachers are standing firm to get a fair pay settlement. Teachers need to say ‘No to Free Overtime’ and demand a salary that will retain and recruit teachers for the future”.
Funding secures free legal services to those most in need
Representative bodies for solicitors in Scotland have agreed to an £11 million package that increases fees for legal aid lawyers in Scotland and supports the country’s court recovery programme.
The Scottish Government offer, accepted by the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association, secures continued legal aid support for criminal and domestic abuse cases and brings the total additional funding to legal aid providers to £31 million since April 2021.
The package also includes support for independent research aimed at agreeing regular, evidence-based fee reviews.
Under the agreement, which will come into force at the end of April, the structure of criminal legal aid fees will be changed to recognise the importance of early preparation in the swift resolution of cases. The move seeks to reduce the number of hearings, helping to address the backlog in court cases.
Individual solicitors will continue to have the right to choose which cases they wish to represent. The package is further to £3 million announced separately in the 2023-24 Scottish Government Budget to strengthen access to justice for deprived communities and vulnerable groups.
Community Safety Minister Elena Whitham said: “Scotland’s legal aid system is a vital lifeline to justice for many thousands of people and is one of the best systems in Europe, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of participating lawyers, the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
“I want to thank members of the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association for working with us to reach an agreement that represents a genuine and credible offer of funding.
“A review mechanism for legal aid fees in the future will ensure the ongoing sustainability of Scotland’s legal aid system. We will continue to work with the legal profession and wider stakeholders, to ensure confidence in this process.”
The legal aid system provides publicly funded legal advice and representation for those most in need.
It is a key part of the Scottish Government’s vision of providing access to justice to everyone and is one of the best in Europe – with 70% of citizens eligible to some form of civil legal aid funding.
The majority of legal aid fund expenditure is on legal services provided by solicitors in private practice who are paid on a case by case basis.
Scotland will not meet its ambitious target of being net zero by 2045 without a more empowered local government sector, with better access to the skills and capital it needs to play its full role in the net zero energy revolution.
The Scottish Government must also set out a comprehensive roadmap that gives local government detailed guidance on how it wants the sector to make its full contribution to net zero.
These are the overarching conclusions reached in a report published today by Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee, following a year-long inquiry into the role local government should play in helping Scotland achieve its ambitious net zero goal by 2045.
The report calls for the Scottish Government to provide additional financial support to Councils in future budget cycles to help them contribute to national net zero targets.
But it also makes clear that, with estimates of £33bn needed to decarbonise heat in buildings alone*, attracting private investment at scale is essential. It calls on the Scottish Government and its agencies to work with local government on an investment strategy that will increase investor appetite and lead to deals being agreed. It also calls for an expanded role for the Scottish National Investment Bank, to help bring together local government and investors in public-private co-financing.
The Committee calls for an area-specific place-based approach to tackle climate change across Scotland; to ensure all players work together to co-ordinate and report on climate change measures. It calls for Councils to be given the powers they will need to make this place-based approach work.
In the report, the Committee recognises the leadership many local authorities are showing in responding to the climate crisis and says good practice should be more widely shared across Councils. The sector should take a more consistent approach to net zero planning, budgeting and target-setting and embed net zero decision-taking at senior levels within Councils. The report also calls for Councils to set targets covering all emissions in their area, because even in areas where they do not have direct control, they can still have influence.
The report calls for Scottish Government assistance to address a skills deficit at local government level, with the drive to reach net zero making “unprecedented and often highly technical demands” on the sector.
Launching the report, Convener of the Committee, Edward Mountain MSP, said: “Over the course of almost a year of evidence-taking, it’s clear that unless key barriers facing local government are dealt with, we will not reach net zero by 2045.
“Local Government is the layer of democracy closest to communities. They have local knowledge and capacity to lead by example and are also uniquely well-placed to form the partnerships we’re going to need at a local and regional level.
“We saw for ourselves on committee visits across Scotland the leadership and good practice many Councils and their local partners are modelling. But against a backdrop of financial pressure, where Councils feel they are being asked to do more for less, they are struggling to think and plan strategically to maximise their contribution to net zero.
“We hope that the Scottish Government, COSLA and the wider local government sector will pay close attention to the recommendations we have made to enable the scale of transformational and behavioural change required for Scotland to succeed.”
Some of the key recommendations made by the Committee to the Scottish Government include that it should:
create a local government-facing “climate intelligence unit” to provide specialist help to Councils in areas where in-depth specialist knowledge is lacking;
allocate larger, fewer and more flexible challenge fund streams for net zero related projects at a local level that better support a holistic and place-based response to climate change;
address the churn, repetition and delay in the planning process that is holding up major renewables and other projects necessary to help meet net zero goals and has a chilling effect on investment. The long-term decline in numbers of Council-employed planners must be reversed in order to meet the ambitions of the new National Planning Framework, and one measure it calls for is the introduction of planning apprenticeships;
clarify the role Councils will play in an area-based approach to heat decarbonisation and set out the additional support they will be offered in preparation and delivery of their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies. We want to see the new Public Energy Agency empowered and directed to work with local government on area-based delivery.
The report also says Councils should set out how they will engage with local communities to ensure that the net zero transition is not something imposed on communities, but something that people and groups can help shape, lead and deliver.
COSLA believes that the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Report out today (23rd January) is a watershed moment for tackling Climate Change.
Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson said: “This report by the Committee on the just transition to a net zero economy is potentially a watershed moment for Scotland in tackling climate change.
“The report is clear that Scotland will not meet its ambitious climate targets without a more empowered Local Government. To empower Local Government, Councils need not just increased funding, but also larger, fewer and more flexible funding streams. This has long been COSLA’s central message, so it is hugely heartening to see it recognised so strongly in the report.
“Climate Change is a challenge we all must face. Local Government is committed, locally and nationally, to leading the net zero transition, but COSLA has been open that local authorities can’t do that effectively without the increased support of Scottish Government. The report by the Committee lays out in the clearest way yet the support that is needed and why.
“The recommendations of the report are mainly directed at Scottish Government, but we need to consider them carefully too. Climate change requires a genuine team Scotland approach and I would hope that this report coupled with last year’s publication by the Climate Change Committee could be the defining moment we have needed to get delivery of the net zero transition on track for 2030 and beyond.
“I commend the Committee for the fullness, diligence and clarity of their report.”
The British Dental Association has warned the Scottish Government must step up to prevent a wholesale exodus from the service in April, following new figures from the Scottish Liberal Democrats suggesting an 8% fall in the number of NHS dentists since lockdown.
The professional body warns that dentists have little sense of what payment system they will be working to come 1 April. On 1 October the Scottish Government cut the ‘multiplier’ designed to support the pandemic recovery, that increased NHS fees by 1.3. A lower bridging payment’ took effect uplifting NHS fees at a rate of 1.2 for the next three months, falling to 1.1 for the period up to April 2023.
While COVID emergency measures have been withdrawn, practices continue to face an historic backlog, with many patients requiring more extensive treatment having bottled up problems during the pandemic.
The BDA say that in the weeks ahead progress must be made to deliver needed change to the broken high volume/low margin model NHS dentistry is based on. Without reform it stresses we will see a further flight of dentists from the NHS that is already evident in other UK nations.
Facing surging practice running costs, the BDA says that without an adequate interim funding package several key treatments, and anything – like dentures – that requires laboratory work, risk being delivered at a financial loss.
Robert Donald, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council said: “Ministers need to understand that Scotland can’t have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists.
“Today colleagues have little sense of what the future will bring when the last pandemic support is pulled away.
“What they do know is this service hasn’t bounced back, and that some NHS treatments are now being delivered at a loss. “The Scottish Government needs to make a serious long-term commitment to prevent a wholesale exodus from the NHS.”
The Scottish Government’s resilience committee (SgoRR) has met again to discuss the impact of winter on NHS and social care, chaired by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Pressures on the system remain acute, despite a slight improvement in A&E waiting time statistics published this week.
The First Minister heard updates on rates of respiratory illness, levels of hospital capacity and actions to alleviate delayed discharge. This includes a nationwide re-assessment of hospital patients who are clinically safe to be discharged, so they can be moved home or to a homely setting as soon as possible.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy First Minister, Health Secretary and other cabinet ministers, along with the Chief Medical Officer and senior representatives from NHS boards, COSLA, Integration Joint Boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf will also meet NHS24 recruits in Cardonald later today. The trainees are part of around 200 new staff who are set to join the service by the end of March, helping to ensure adequate resource continues to be in place to respond to calls from the public.
The First Minister said: “There is no doubt that we are still seeing very acute demands across most of the health and social care system.
“That means it remains important to continue to pursue every avenue to improve the flow of patients through hospitals, and to ensure people are able to safely leave when they are fit for discharge.
“The measures discussed at SGoRR today are all helping to address these issues, but we remain indebted to the incredible efforts of staff right across the health and social care system for their commitment and hard work during this extremely challenging winter.”
