Care of elderly ‘must be integrated into health services’, says Sutherland

The architect of the free personal care for the elderly policy has told MSPs that integrating health and care services is “essential” to maintain quality standards.

Lord Sutherland gave his view as part of a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the regulation of care for older people. He said Scotland’s ageing population and the squeeze on public spending means ways to save money must be found.

The Scottish Government said before the election that elderly care could be transferred from councils to the NHS. The move would shift about 38,500 staff to health boards to give a “single point of access” for patients.

Lord Sutherland said: “There’s a lot that could be put into practice as pilot studies. My understanding is that’s going ahead and I hope you’ll take note of what’s working and what’s not.

“I do believe that the integration of these two services is, in the medium and certainly long term, one of the essentials for ensuring quality of care.”

The health committee, holding its first session after the summer parliamentary recess, raised concerns about the balance of private and public care homes.

Other concerns included the care home inspection regime and training programmes.

Asked if the care policy in Scotland falls short of his earlier expectations, Lord Sutherland said: “If you’re an optimist, it always falls a little bit short. But one of the huge changes is in the financial position of this and other nations within Europe.

“I foresee some of the major problems coming from that, which is why I’m stressing the importance of health and social services.”