Rethinking Eligibility: Researching Relevant Innovations and Developments in Adult Social Care Eligibility Criteria in Scotland

In Scotland, following the independent review of adult social care (IRASC) in 2021, social care is going through a period of further review. Final decisions are still being made about a National Care Service (NCS). One aspect under review is eligibility criteria. Specifically, the Scottish Government is committed to the “overhaul of the current mechanism of eligibility criteria to ensure an approach to adult social care support that is based on human rights and needs” (SG 2022b, p5). As part of a wider programme of work in advance of the NCS, this commission was undertaken with the understanding that the purpose was not to create an alternative mechanism, but to research relevant developments and innovations in the field of adult social care eligibility criteria in the UK. This report is the result of that inquiry.