“If not now, when?”

Now read the full Independent Review Of Adult Social Care in Scotland report. Congratulations to Derek Feeley and his team – it’s a great piece of work.

The proposal for a National Care Service will get most of the publicity in coming months but there are other key elements worth noting briefly:

1. It’s so damn refreshing to read a report like this saying so boldly (and on page 1) that ‘Spending on adult social care is an investment’ and not a burden on local authorities, taxpayers, the state etc.

2. It’s equally bracing to see it pointed out that social care should fundamentally be about human rights, equity and equality. Too often people not on the frontline forget that organising purpose

3. It’s honest about not reinventing the wheel. It recognises strengths in the current systems and approaches like self-directed support, the integration of health & social care, the Carers Act BUT calls out a need to do a lot more on them, and coordinate them a lot better

4. References to the Christie Commission principles remind us that 10 years have passed since that publication. Austerity undoubtedly got in the way but do we in Scotland really believe our public and civic sector bodies have done enough for example on early intervention and collaboration?

5. The call to arms: “If not now, when? If not this way, how? And if not us – who?” could and should apply to a whole load of public policy decisions as we emerge from the main effects of COVID-19.

All of it requires courage.