Opinion: Jo McGilvray

Age Scotland is the national charity for older people. We have been long-time proponents of the establishment of a Commissioner for Older People. Our conviction that this is the right thing to do has been strengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, which had a disproportionate effect on rights, experiences and outcomes for older people all over the country. But the challenges faced by older people did not start in 2020. The pandemic amplified and shone a light on problems and issues that already existed.

Scotland has a rapidly aging population. The number of older people living in Scotland is forecast to rise over the next 20 years, despite the overall Scottish population being forecast to decrease in the same period. By 2045, almost 50% of the Scottish population will be over 50 and the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to grow by almost one third.

Ageism persists in Scotland and has a destructive effect. It exacerbates loneliness and isolation, impacts health, wellbeing, finances and the economy, and has serious consequences for people’s human rights. Age Scotland’s Big Survey told us that over a third of respondents believe that older people are made to feel a burden to society. More than one third felt that life is getting worse for older people, and only around a fifth considered that older people are valued for their contribution to society. Over half of all respondents felt lonely at least sometimes. In recent polling conducted for Age Scotland, one in five people over the age of 55 reported that they had been discriminated against, treated unfairly or had missed out on opportunities because of their age.

Many older people are left waiting years for routine health services and operations, and waiting times for social care are sky high, with people commonly waiting over a year for a needs assessment. Last year, more than 18,000 people died while on waiting lists for NHS treatment.

That is why we welcome the consultation from Colin Smyth MSP, seeking support for a bill to introduce a Commissioner for Older People, who would raise awareness of the rights and interests of older people, celebrate their valuable contributions, ensure their needs are fully considered in policy and practice right across all Government departments and public bodies, and have powers to investigate issues that matter to people in later life.

We understand that a Commissioner will not solve all of the manifold problems, but we do think a landscape where the Scottish Government, local authorities and service providers are held to account, and where there is an independent, high-level champion for older people, is an important piece of the puzzle and will help to improve things for older people, as has been the case in both Wales and Northern Ireland, where there are Older People’s Commissioners already. 

We also recognise the value added by offices such as the Scottish Human Rights Commission. We believe cooperation between a new Commissioner and the SHRC, as happens already with the Children’s Commissioner, would prove fruitful and effective – allowing expanded reach and focus, rather than duplication. And we further believe that the scale of the challenges and breadth of issues facing older people now and in the future merits dedicated focus. Those from all walks of life and backgrounds become older people, and services that are already struggling and failing people will be completely unable to cope. The issues that need to be addressed span multiple policy areas and ministerial jurisdictions, adding further credibility to the call for a single, dedicated advocate.

We are under no illusions. This is a challenging time to introduce this bill, in part due to recent pushback on a perceived proliferation of commissioner proposals. Introduction of this position would also require dedicated finance in a difficult budgetary time – but we believe the investment is one that would pay off, and in the scheme of Government budgets, is also relatively modest.

Our data consistently show that introduction of a Commissioner for Older People is widely supported by the public. The research shows just 3% of over 50s were opposed to the idea, and 70% of younger people were supportive. This is an important moment for policy makers to demonstrate their genuine and active commitment to advancing the rights of older people, and taking concrete action to make this happen.