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It looked at electronic auctions for social care, whereby providers were asked to bid down online—it was like a reverse eBay auction—for home care for older people.
Other organisations that we have contacted have mentioned that the first and foremost thing is to keep people busy and active and in touch with the communities.
If you are asking me to look back on what we could have done better, I would say that when we took the initial decision, we could have been more in contact with the organisations that would bear the impact of that, particularly local authorities.
We have many opportunities to interact with individuals and to change the direction of the services that they receive and the potential outcomes from their experiences.It is about making sure that we take every opportunity and use every point of contact to give a preventative message.
Twelve months after publication, we produce a largely internal document—a 12-month impact report—to see what has been done about our report recommendations. We contacted the Scottish Government then, in March 2011, to ask what had happened against our recommendations.
After all, if free personal care and that kind of contact were not available, what would be the cost from dealing with the additional falls and admissions to hospital and accident and emergency?
The complaints process will be made more accessible and streamlined, with a single point of contact, and we will soon be reviewing the national care standards.
For most of that time, that worker was one of only two people with whom her son had daily social contact because of part of his medical condition, which presented challenges in forming and maintaining relationships with people.