The SNP candidate for Skye Lochaber and Badenoch, Eilidh Munro, has set out proposals for Highland specific social care reform ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in May.
The plans focus on addressing the distinct challenges faced by care workers and service users in rural and remote communities.
Munro has pledged to push for a Highland weighting in care worker pay to reflect the realities of working across large and often isolated areas.
She has also called for payments to cover travel time between appointments and more flexible employment contracts to improve recruitment and retention.
Further commitments include continuing efforts to protect care homes from closure and increasing investment to support people in their own homes wherever possible.
Munro has also backed expanding a rural pilot scheme that trains staff across both childcare and social care roles.
At a national level, she said she would press COSLA to review the National Care Home Contract to ensure the full cost of delivering care in the Highlands is recognised.
She also supports calls for the UK Government to reinstate care worker visas to help address staffing shortages.
The Scottish Government’s Adult Social Care Displaced Workers Scheme is expected to deliver up to 30000 additional hours of care each month across Scotland.
Eilidh Munro said:
“It is vital that care workers receive the recognition, pay and support that they deserve.
“It is also essential that those requiring social care packages can access the help they need, when they need it, no matter where they live.
“There is a great deal of good work already underway by stakeholder organisations, and I am committed to championing measures that will lead to better remuneration and more flexible working arrangements, as well as creating more affordable housing, to help continue addressing social care staff recruitment issues locally.
“I strongly believe that care needs to be delivered as locally as possible and, whenever possible, at home.
“That is what I consistently hear from people on the doorsteps, and from the sector itself.
“During this campaign, I have already been assisting people in progressing their social care assessment applications, and it’s clear that demand for increased and improved social care delivery is something that must be urgently prioritised in the next parliamentary session.
“An SNP Government would stand up against UK Government policies that undermine our workforce and put Scotland’s care sector first.
“We are already providing free personal and nursing care to those that need it, and last year we invested £125m to enable social care workers in the third sector and private sector to be paid at least the Real Living Wage, as well as increasing the Independent Living Fund and the Voluntary Short Breaks Fund.
“With the SNP predicted to be the biggest party in the next parliament, electing an SNP Member for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch will give our area a strong seat at the table.”
The proposals place a strong emphasis on local delivery, workforce support and ensuring rural communities are not left behind in national policy decisions.
With social care demand continuing to rise, the issue is expected to remain central to the election campaign across the Highlands.
