Age Scotland has said that Scotland arguably has the best social care system in the UK, but highlighted concerns about the future
Scotland faces challenges as it looks to continue to provide free personal care to the elderly.
Local authorities spent £379 million on providing personal care services to older people in their own homes in 2016/17 plus £123m on implementing the policy in care homes.
Charity Age Scotland has said the amount provided demonstrates Scotland’s commitment to supporting the nation’s population – but future challenges such as an ageing population, widened eligibility and workforce issues as a result of Brexit must be considered.
Figures released by the Scottish Government this week show more than 76,000 people in Scotland benefited from free personal and nursing care, either in a care home or while living in their own home, a slight decrease from 78,000 the previous year.
Brian Sloan, Age Scotland’s chief executive, said: “These latest figures demonstrate just how important free personal and nursing care is. More than 7% of those over 65 years old rely on it to get the care they need, whether in their own home or in a care home.”
“It has been a flagship policy ever since devolution and Scotland arguably has the best social care system in the United Kingdom.
“But there are significant challenges for the policy ahead, due to Scotland’s ageing population as well as the widened eligibility criteria coming into force from next year. Over the next decade it is likely that more people will require care and the Scottish Government needs to support local authorities in light of this, both in terms of financing and how the policy is implemented.”
Sloan added that recruiting and retaining social care staff remains a significant challenge which is unlikely to improve with Brexit.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Scotland continues to be the only country in the UK that provides free personal care, with more than 76,000 older people benefiting during the 2016/17 year.
“We have committed to extending free personal care by April 2019, to adults aged under 65 who need it, and we are working on implementation alongside our advisory group of representatives from COSLA, councils, health and social care partnerships, care providers and others.
“In 2018-19 we provided an additional £66 million to local authorities to support implementation of the Carers Act, maintain payment of the real Living Wage and increase payments for free personal and nursing care.”
