National Care Service (Scotland) Bill

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care formally introduced the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament on 20 June 2022.

Since its introduction, the Scottish Parliament have held committee sessions to hear from experts, organisations and members of the public about what the Bill would do and MSPs have debated, amended and voted on various aspects of the Bill.  As a result, the Bill has significantly changed and is now known as the ‘Care Reform (Scotland) Bill’.

On Tuesday 10 June 2025, MSPs voted to pass the ‘Care Reform (Scotland) Bill’, it will now receive Royal Assent before becoming law. The Stage 3 debate and vote on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill can be viewed on the Parliament website.

This webpage outlines the evolution of the National Care Service Bill and what the Care Reform Bill now proposes. There are six sections, and you can go directly to a specific section by selecting its hyperlink:

Background

Independent Review of Adult Social Care

The Scottish Government commissioned and published in 2021 the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (also referred to as ‘The Feeley Review’), which recommended making improvements to and reforming adult social care in Scotland. In response, the Scottish Government carried out a national consultation on proposals arising from the Review.

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care formally introduced the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament on 20 June 2022.

The Bill set out the principles of and established the new National Care Service for Scotland, and it allowed Scottish Ministers to transfer a range of services and functions from Local Authorities to the National Care Service.

There are three stages to a Bill going through Parliament:

Stage 1: Bill as Introduced (June 2022)

The Bill, as introduced, is divided into 4 parts:

  1. Establishes the National Care Service, including creation of care boards and transfer of health and social care functions to the National Care Service
  2. Scottish Ministers’ powers to make care records more consistent and better integrated
  3. Modifications to existing laws relating to the provision and regulation of care (e.g. carers act, procurement)
  4. Provisions to make ancillary regulations (secondary regulations to support the legislation within the Bill)

The Scottish Parliament approved the Bill at Stage 1 on Thursday 29th February 2024. The Stage 1 debate on the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill can be viewed on the Parliament website.

Stage 2: Proposed Amendments

Stage 2 allowed MSPs to propose amendments to the Bill which were then debated and voted on. The Scottish Governments revised proposals for the National Care Service Bill, influenced by co-design activity and previous Scottish Parliament committee evidence sessions, included removing Part 1, which established the National Care Service, and establishing a new National Care Service Advisory Board.

The Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee completed Stage 2 proceedings on Tuesday 4th March.  The Stage 2 debate and vote took place over 2 meetings and can be viewed on the Parliament website (25 February 2025) and Parliament website (4 March 2025).

A revised draft Bill, renamed the ‘Care Reform (Scotland) Bill’, was published on 4th March 2025.

Stage 3: Further Amendments and Final Debate

Stage 3 allowed MSPs to submit further amendments which were debated on Tuesday 10 June 2025 before MSPs voted to pass the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill. The Bill will be redrafted and passed for Royal Assent, before being passed into law.

The Stage 3 debate on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill  can be viewed on the Parliament website.

Care Reform (Scotland) Bill

The National Care Service Bill was renamed the ‘Care Reform (Scotland) Bill’ following agreement to remove Part 1, which established the National Care Service, from the Bill. This means that the Bill no longer legislates for structural reform and Integration Joint Boards will continue to oversee health and social care as they do now.  

The Bill legislates for:

  • Anne’s law: to uphold the rights of people living in adult care homes to see loved ones and identify an essential care supporter
  • Information sharing: to enable information sharing across health and social care services
  • Right to breaks for unpaid carers: a legal right to breaks for unpaid carers
  • National Social Work Agency (NSWA): creation of a new statutory body, headed by a Chief Social Work Advisor to have oversight of Social Work across Scotland and to advance and advocate for the profession.

While an NCS will no longer be established as it was initially proposed, the Scottish Government intend to deliver the ambition and principles of the original NCS proposals by making improvements to social care through legislative and non-legislative means, including via The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill and the NCS Advisory Board.

You can read more about the Scottish Government plans for improving social care on the Scottish Government’s website.

National Care Service Advisory Board

The Scottish Government have established an interim National Care Service Advisory Board, on a non-statutory basis, to provide advice and suggest where improvements can be made to social care, social work and community health services to help ensure they are consistent, fair and high-quality across Scotland.  

More information, including a list of members is available on the Scottish Government’s website. 

Glasgow City Programme and Governance Arrangements

Within Glasgow City, a programme with governance arrangements for the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was set up with officers from Glasgow City Council and Glasgow City HSCP.

The programme was overseen by a Steering Group and included workstreams to focus on particular areas of NCS proposals, and an Executive Group and Working Group, which brought together all care group operations and business support functions across the HSCP.

On Friday 6 June 2025, the Steering Group agreed to stand down the governance groups and workstreams, due to the Bill no longer legislating for structural reform.  However, Glasgow City HSCP officers will continue to monitor the implementation of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, along with any other care reform initiatives from the Scottish Government. 

Communications

Glasgow City HSCP officers will continue to monitor the implementation of the Care Reform Bill and are committed to providing HSCP staff, partner organisation staff and other stakeholders with regular communications on any implications it may have. Below are the main communications issued to date:

A series of staff emails have also been issued providing HSCP staff with updates as the Bill has progressed.

Consultation and Engagement

Scottish Government (SG) and Scottish Parliament (SP) Consultation and Engagement

The Scottish Government have engaged with a range of stakeholders, particularly with people who access support, those who deliver it and unpaid carers. This was through formal public consultations and engagement, panels, forums, information sessions and meetings.

Below are the main formal consultation and engagement responses by the HSCP, IJB and Council. Any available outputs are also included. 

Glasgow City HSCP Consultation and Engagement

Glasgow City HSCP have held a series of virtual information sessions for HSCP staff. The sessions were an opportunity to:

  • hear from the HSCP Senior Management Team about the proposals for an NCS
  • find out more about how our HSCP has responded to the proposed amendments
  • ask any questions and share any concerns.

The first series consisted of 8 evening sessions held throughout February and March 2023 and focused on providing staff with an overview of the Scottish Government’s initial proposals for a National Care Service as they were introduced to Parliament in 2022.

You can read the NCS Information Sessions Presentation from March 2023 on the HSCP website.

The second series consisted of 6 sessions held at a variety of times throughout October and November 2024. This series provided staff with an overview of the Scottish Government’s proposed draft amendments to the National Care Service Bill.

You can read the NCS Information Sessions Presentation from November 2024 on the HSCP website.

For more information email gchscp_nationalcareservice@glasgow.gov.uk.

Questions and Comments

If you have any questions or comments about the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, then complete the form below or email gchscp_nationalcareservice@glasgow.gov.uk. 

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