Question reference: S6W-05724
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 14 January 2022
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a review of financial decision-making within the social care sector since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including (a) how public finances were used for social care, (b) the decision-making processes for resource allocation and (c) the impact that decisions have had on people accessing support.
Answer
A statutory public inquiry has been established to examine the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The inquiry will undertake scrutiny of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland as a whole and identify lessons and implications for the future.
Audit Scotland will publish its report on Scotland's financial response to COVID-19 in May 2022. This audit is a review of the public sector’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole. It will consider the financial management, governance and oversight arrangements in place for public bodies to quickly distribute funding to those that need it.
In addition, the Scottish Government continues to review on an ongoing basis the support provided to the social care sector to ensure that it remains appropriate. This is undertaken on a collaborative basis with partners across the sector to ensure understanding of the impact of decision making on providers and those receiving care.