MOST care services in Edinburgh are “struggling to fill vacancies”, according to a new report from the Care Inspectorate – the body responsible for monitoring the quality of social care in Scotland.
A study recently published by the body found that of the 415 care services in Edinburgh in 2024, 70% reported “having problems filling their vacancies”, well above the national average of 61%.
The Liberal Democrats blasted the Scottish Government after the publication of this report, saying that “care services are stretched to breaking point”.
In Edinburgh and in Scotland, however, the number of care services reporting having vacancies has decreased year on year following a high point of 49% in 2022.
Th number of services reporting nursing vacancies was also down Scotland-wide, from 61% in 2022 to 41% in 2024.
The government cites these figures as indications of progress but said “there is more to do”.
69% of elder care facilities and 70% of care at home facilities reported having trouble filling vacancies.
Care homes for children and young people and support services other than care at home services reported having far fewer issues.
In Midlothian, 72% of services reported having problems filling roles, placing it above Edinburgh and giving the authority one of the highest rates in the country.
The number of services providing care in Edinburgh that reported having vacancies in their annual review was at 50% – still above the national average of 45% but declining year on year.
The Scottish Government said it is supporting care services by increasing the real living wage.
Social Care Minister Tom Arthur said: “This report shows that on 31 December 2024, 44% of care services reported having vacancies, an improvement from 48% a year earlier but we know there is more to do.
“We are aware of increased pressures faced by social care and greatly appreciate the efforts of the workforce, who continue to support our communities right across Scotland.
“We are funding all social care providers to advertise vacancies at MyJobScotland for free, increasing by almost 7% the real living wage minimum pay rate to £13.45 per hour from April with investment worth more than £1.1bn and have allocated £500,000 to mitigate the UK Government’s closure of the adult social care visa route to new overseas applications.
“Our 2026-27 draft Scottish Budget, which includes more than £2.3bn for social care and integration, will help people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.”
The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, blasted the Scottish Government after the publication of the report, saying “only his party have a realistic plan to fix the care crisis”.
In a statement, he said: “Care services are stretched to breaking point.
“Vacancies are rife, meaning more and more demand will simply not be met.
“The SNP government wasted four years and £30m attempting a bureaucratic takeover of social care that was never going to fix core problems.
“The gaps in care mean almost 2,000 people are stuck in hospital on any given day, despite being well enough to leave.
“Those delays are costing our NHS £1.2m a day, ramping up waits at A&E and causing ambulances to stack up outside.
“We need to fix care to fix the NHS, and only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to do that by introducing a new, UK-wide minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher than the national minimum wage.”
In Edinburgh, health and social care is governed by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership.
