THE remnants of the National Care Service proposals are so diluted they remove all the benefits this original proposals would give to service users. What is left is a lost opportunity to professionalise and improve standards and protections for recipients.
Maybe Maree Todd MSP (below) could enlarge on what benefits will remain from the original proposals? Will this be an expensive exercise, denuding funds that could be spent on care, giving very little or no long-term improvements, possibly even detrimental to the effectiveness of the care system?
READ MORE: Scottish national care service rollout delayed to 2029
In my view, one of the most important parts of the proposals was to centralise and create a National Care Service similar to the NHS where service standards were controlled and providers accountable. My current experience of care standards for the elderly is that lack of staff and resulting lack of care is a problem for management but hugely impacts the care given to users. Councils seem unable to resolve these issues locally and it requires government focus to ensure service standards are adhered to unilaterally.
Can you imagine a time when you are in hospital and nurses or medics fail to turn up for their shift or rota and you are left alone in bed with no nurses to administer to your needs? Well that is what currently happens with care services, where users are left abandoned and uninformed about what has happened to their carer, suffering the related indignities and deteriorating health as a result.
Christine Smith
Troon
I USED to buy The National at a wee shop near my local train station in Maybole. However that’s no longer convenient as the train station is closed indefinitely. As are Girvan, Barrhill and Stranraer.
Scotrail just sent me an email with great offers. It is not possible to use any as we in the deep sooth have no train service due the incompetency of all authorities involved in undoing damage around Ayr railway station. Years of neglect by South Ayrshire Council facilitated a fire in a long-closed hotel months ago. All elected authorities claim it to be someone else’s fault.
READ MORE: Transport Minister opens new train station in Scottish village
The rush to re-open the station and bring back services is sloth-like. No, that’s unfair to a poor sloth – these tree-dwellers do move!
I have lived in various parts of Scotland and the south-west is by far the poorest governed, both locally and from Edinburgh. Perhaps that’s one reason it has become a cultural desert. Who can we moan to? Locally? Jings, the councillors believe they are performing splendidly. Nationally, no use as the aforesaid don’t support individuals who can see the sad neglect.
Towns like Motherwell, Paisley, Bathgate and others suffered from Tories closing down their industries. Ayr committed suicide.
Bryan Clark
Maybole
IT was so refreshing to read Monday’s front-page headline about Lesley Riddoch’s upcoming documentary presenting the success of an independent country like Denmark as the indy model for Scotland to emulate. I hope this film and its message will inform every one of our citizens what our nation can become – positively vibrant
and successful with a great emphasis on the wellbeing of all our citizens as well as fairness, respect and true Christian values being paramount in our written constitution. We can thrive!
However, the toxic British state, the secretive Union Unit and their colluding press/media cohorts will no doubt endeavour to suppress this film in any way that they can – all part of the Brit-Brexit conspiracy to continually stamp down on any efforts that promote Scottish independence, especially on a potentially nationwide media outlet.
READ MORE: 'Inspiring' Lesley Riddoch Denmark film to be shown across Scotland
Just look at the current spat regarding our FM’s recent meeting with Turkey’s President Erdogan – by gum, what a disgrace! The Brit government didn’t like that liaison at all and are behaving like juvenile delinquents with such a petty, immature response that confirms once again that we need to get away from these aggressive Westminster charlatans as soon as possible.
It becomes so abundantly clear that Scottish politics and Scottish culture/values are so different from the cesspit that is resident in Westminster, London – there is no return to this fractured Union in my humble opinion and we are at the point where political acquiescence has long gone. We are witnessing the age of the political fascist, the bullies who believe they can violate/change existing laws.
These morons also believe they own Scotland and will apply all kinds of clandestine measures to suppress any moves or positivity towards Scottish self-determination. Threatening punitive Foreign Office measures against the Scottish Government abroad? A government they do not like and never have done since devolution came about in 1997! Come on! It’s not the first time our democratically elected Scottish Government has been attacked in this way, and it is totally unacceptable! There comes a point when a “watershed moment” finally arrives in Scotland and we respond in kind. Is that moment fast-approaching, and how do we respond to good effect?
Bernie Japs
Edinburgh
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