A BILL is being brought forward to the Scottish Parliament to create a dedicated commissioner for older people in Scotland.
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth is behind the plan and said: “Covid-19 had a profound impact on all our lives but for older people it was just devastating.
“A day rarely went past at the height of the pandemic without a constituent raising with me their heart-breaking experiences of not having access to their loved ones in a care home because we couldn’t get our act together over testing.
“I even remember phoning a local factory who I knew used PPE to ask if they could give some to a local care home who feared running out.
“Even now I get so many cases every day from constituents whose older relatives are stuck in hospital because we don’t have enough carers and suitable housing for them to go home to.”
He pointed out that the Scottish Parliament recently appointed a new Children’s Commissioner for Scotland, a post all four nations in the UK have.
And there’s Older People’s Commissioners already in Wales and Northern Ireland, and a campaign is underway to get one in England.
The MSP doesn’t want Scotland to be left behind and added: “No one would dream of now asking if we need that position, but that’s what happens when you raise the idea of an Older People’s Commissioner in Scotland with the Scottish Government.
“Why should older people in Scotland be any different?”
He will be launching a public consultation on the proposal at the end of May to run for three months and hopes to bring forward a Member’s Bill to Parliament by the end of the year.
The role of the Commissioner would be to raise awareness of the interests of, promote the provision of opportunities for, encourage best practice in the treatment of, and the elimination of discrimination against, older people in Scotland.
The Commissioner would also have the power to carry out investigations into how services provide for older people.
