We Welcome Scottish Parliamentary Candidates

Ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections, we were delighted to welcome Scottish Parliamentary Candidate, Alexander Burnett, and Harriet Cross, MP for Gordon & Buchan, to our Inspire…By service in Huntly on Friday 9th April.

Inspire…By is an award-winning model of support from Community Integrated Care, empowering over 70 people across four locations in North East Scotland to develop skills, build confidence and strengthen community connections – through charity shops and community projects.

Alex and Harriet were welcomed by Sara Murphy, Managing Director for Scotland, and Suz Bracken, Regional Manager and Head of Inspire…By, before spending time with the people we support and gaining real insight into the dedication and impact of our teams within the local community. They saw first-hand how a model of support like Inspire…By makes a difference not only to the individuals it supports, but to the wider community around it.

The Social Care Challenges We Put to Candidates

During the visit, discussions covered:

• The funding challenges facing the sector, and the need for greater transparency in how social care is resourced
• NHS pressures, and the vital role the social care sector can play in relieving them
• Innovative solutions and alternative models of support, including Technology Enabled Care (TEC)
• The importance of valuing the social care workforce to tackle recruitment and retention

In the spirit of the Easter weekend, Alex and Harriet also got stuck in with Easter crafts alongside the people we support, a moment that captured exactly what Inspire…By is all about.

Sara Murphy, Managing Director for Scotland, said, “We were grateful for the chance to speak directly with Alex and Harriet ahead of the upcoming elections, and that they took the time to meet our teams and the people we support. Our Inspire…By services are proof of what’s possible when you back the right models of support, and we need the next Scottish Parliament to not only see that, but to back it. Visits like this give us real hope that the message and impact is landing.”

The visit was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate not only what outstanding, person-centred support looks like in practice, but also to put the case directly to Scottish parliamentary candidates for sustainable, fair investment in the sector.