The Scottish Executive has hit back at speculation that it cannot afford to support its pledge to pr...
The Scottish Executive has hit back at speculation that it cannot afford to support its pledge to provide free nursing and personal care for the elderly, writes Angela Faherty.
The announcement follows recent reports that the Highland Council has experienced a shortfall in funding and insufficient funds may lead to the introduction of waiting lists.
A spokesperson for the Executive denied any demands for additional funding had been made: 'The Executive has injected £250m into the policy and allocations given to each council included an element of increased capacity in case of higher demand. No council has come forward to say there are any problems and there are no waiting lists for the provision of free nursing and personal care.'
However, the Executive did confirm it is working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to establish a joint monitoring group that will cater for any problems experienced by the councils.
The spokesperson added that while there are no waiting lists, the needs of some individuals are given higher priority. 'It is a demand-led policy,' she said.
Owain Wright, head of The Care Funding Bureau, believes the scheme is far from secure.
'What the Scottish Executive has done is good, but it is not commercially viable. If it is already creaking only a few months into the policy, what is going to happen in a few years' time? The situation simply reaffirms to the Government and customers alike, how expensive the cost of care can be.'
Norwich Union's long term care strategy manager, Sandy Johnstone, did not rule out the possibility Scotland may review the policy at a later date.
'While it is true Scotland is providing free personal and nursing care, the Executive never said it would do this forever. If funds are being stretched in Scotland, eventually, we may see the country come back into line with the rest of the UK,' he said.
