Stage set for care standard drive

Actors will tour care homes to raise awareness of national standards

A campaign to raise awareness of Scotland's national care standards has been launched in Dundee.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison saw a preview of a play that will visit care homes and day care centres.

The standards set out what people can expect from each type of service including childminding, personal care and homes for the elderly.

The Live Wire Theatre Group production will tour 50 venues. The £200,000 campaign also includes a TV advert.

Ms Robison watched the play at Dundee's Oakland Centre, a day care centre for the elderly.

She said: "Choosing the right care provider - whether you are looking for a nursery or residential care for an elderly relative - is crucial.

"That's why we have the national care standards, which are designed to ensure people receive the same quality of care, no matter where they live. They also set out what people are entitled to expect, for instance their rights to privacy."

Quality of care

Research has suggested that awareness and understanding of the standards are low, particularly among older people.

Professor Frank Clark, convener of the Care Commission, which regulates care services, said: "The standards provide the shade card against which we measure the quality of the care being provided.

"Not everyone realises that the national care standards are relevant to them. Yet they cover the services provided by, for example, childminders, day and after-school care for children, care homes and personal care delivered in the home."

The TV advert, produced by the Leith Agency, will run for eight weeks.