29 August 2008
Controversy over Scotland's flagship free personal care service was reignited as the latest figures showed that the cost has soared by 52% in the four years since the policy was introduced.
A report by the Scottish Government's chief statistician, published this week, showed that the £110m increase was mainly due to a shift in the balance of care at nursing homes to 'larger packages of care' at home.
The rise renewed criticisms over what was seen as an open-ended commitment made by the former Labour-Liberal Democrat administration, which introduced free personal and nursing care.
The Scottish Conservative local government spokesman, David McLetchie, said: 'This is exactly what might have been expected from a policy that was not properly costed and which just keeps on rising as the population gets older.'
The Scottish National Party administration is committed to the policy. A spokesman said it would provide an extra £40m to local authorities from next year.
This, he said, was in line with the recommendation made by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, who led an independent group appointed to review the policy.
'We are working in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to take forward the recommendations in Lord Sutherland's report and our wider shared commitment to improve the delivery of care services for older people,' the spokesman said.
The figures showed that in the past year alone, expenditure on the service rose by £41m, or 15%. Between 2003 and 2007, the total cost of the service rose from £212m to £322m.
PFaug2008
