MSPs have voiced concerns about the revised cost of the Scottish Government’s social care shake-up, after officials said slimming down the plan could save £1.2bn over 10 years.

Members of Holyrood’s finance committee welcomed the “dramatic” fall in costs, but also questioned how they could rely on new estimates from the Government.

When then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the National Care Service she said it would be biggest reform in public services since the creation of the NHS in 1948.

It is intended to harmonise standards in social care across Scotland and end the current “postcode lottery” in services.

After councils, health boards and trade unions pushed back, and MSPs queried the vague costs, the scheme was delayed and overhauled last year.

Plans to transfer tens of thousands of council staff and council assets to a new care service have been scrapped, as have plans to create new local care boards. 

Instead, the main element will be the creation of one national board to oversee standards. The “go live” date has been delayed from 2026 to 2029.

The original NCS plan was due to cost between £880m and £2.192bn over ten years. The revised plan is costed at between £631m and £916m over ten years, a saving of between £249m and £1.276bn. 

Ministers have said they will amend the legislation at Holyrood when it enters its committee stage later this year to make the changes and cut the costs. 

The Government’s director of Social Care Donna Bell told the finance committee: “If Parliament agrees to our proposed changes… the cost of this Bill will decrease substantially.”

SNP convener Kenneth Gibson acknowledged there had been “dramatic” changes but asked how the committee could have faith in the new costings.

Ms Bell said: “We’ve been able to pin down the costs and reduce the range as you’ve described. We’re now in a much more certain position about the way forward. Certainly the range of variables that the previous approach presented were much more significant.”

Mr Gibson said he was “still struggling to have confidence” and felt there should be more clarity around the national board for the NCS.

Both Tory MSP Liz Smith and the SNP’s Michelle Thomson raised concerns about the ongoing use of co-design – incorporating the views of people who have experience of the system into the Bill – and the cost implications of this.

Ms Thomson asked if officials had tried to estimate a definitive final cost on the project.

Ms Bell said they had not, with cost ranges used instead.