The Scottish Trade Unions Congress has delivered a blow to the Scottish Government’s National Care Service Bill by refusing to support the plan.

STUC has written to Health Secretary Neil Gray to share their thoughts on the situation and says it is unwilling to allow the Scottish Government to continue allowing workers to be left short-staffed, on low pay and in insecure conditions.

It is the latest organisation to withdraw its support after COSLA also did so last month.

Ministers had put forward plans for a National Care Service in the wake of the Covid pandemic, with the move seen as being key to reform in the social care system.

In a letter to Mr Gray, STUC said: “Care workers are on their knees trying desperately to cover shifts and visits to those in need.

“There is a shortage of staff across Scotland with local councils and employers all struggling to deliver the vital social care. Yet the government is ploughing on with the National Care Service Bill which fails to address fundamental issues about how care is delivered and has lost the confidence of workers in the sector.

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“The Scottish Government seems hellbent on repeating the mistakes of the past. That is something that the STUC and our affiliated unions cannot uphold.

“We need urgent investment in social care and improved wages to attract and retain skilled staff. That can be done, in the here and now, without the need for a new National Care Service.

“Profiteering, low pay and insecure conditions within social care are rampant throughout the sector. It would appear the Scottish Government, through the proposed NCS Bill, seems content for that to continue, something which we cannot allow in our name.”

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane believes it is now the time for the health secretary to finally call time on a "doomed proposal".

He said: “Neil Gray has succeeded in uniting the whole of civic Scotland in opposition to the SNP’s botched National Care Service plan.

“Everyone apart from him can see this is an unaffordable power grab by nationalist ministers, which is why the STUC is the latest stakeholder to withdraw support.

“Common sense tells you that local social care providers are far better placed to determine the care needs in their area than disconnected SNP ministers in Edinburgh.

“The health secretary must stop throwing good money after bad and finally call time on this doomed proposal.”

It’s a view shared by Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton who reckons it is further proof of poor attitude from the SNP, and insists the legislation is "unfit for purpose".

He said: "For too long an attitude of ‘SNP ministers know best’ has blighted the management of public services.

"This legislation has been exposed as completely unfit for purpose. It does nothing to ease pressures on care staff and services. Instead it would wrench away control of services from communities.

"People want local control and influence over the social care services they rely on. They don't want decisions about care in the Highlands and Islands, taken by a distant minister in Edinburgh.

"Pretty soon Maree Todd and John Swinney will be the only people still backing this bill.

"My party has been clear from the beginning that the money earmarked for this ministerial takeover should be being invested in improving conditions for staff and enhancing services instead."