Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee is calling for views on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on social care services at home, via a new online survey.

Earlier this year, the Committee planned to explore how social care could work differently in the future. This work was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee will now resume that work to examine social care further, exploring how lessons learned can be applied in the future to improve social care systems and delivery in Scotland.

The Committee has already received submissions from a range of people involved in social care, and in the context of care homes during the pandemic. To add to that evidence base, the Committee now wants to hear from those who provide or have received social care at home. MSPs are keen to hear about people’s experiences of social care at home during the pandemic, whether people felt safe and supported and what lessons should be learned should there be a second wave or future outbreaks.

They are especially looking for views from people who provide, or receive, care and support at home, including:

individuals receiving care at home
family members and unpaid carers
staff, managers or owners of a care at home services, or personal assistants providing care

The short online survey to understand the impact of COVID-19 on care at home services, and what issues the pandemic has highlighted, improved or made worse.

Through the survey, there will also be opportunities to engage further with this inquiry. Experiences shared will be added to evidence and insights already gathered and will be used to support the Committee’s formal sessions in October and November 2020.

The Committee encourages members of underrepresented groups to submit evidence during this Call for Views; anyone who requires further information on this point should contact the Committee clerks by email: HealthandSport@parliament.scot

The deadline for responses is Monday 7^th September.

To submit your response via the survey, please visit the Scottish Parliament website.

Details of the Call for Views is also available as an Easy Read Version (available to view or download as a pdf).