Call for rethink as cost of free care for elderly soars 139% in six years

The cost of providing free care for the elderly has soared over the past few years to £426 million, prompting calls for a more cost-effective way of looking after Scotland’s older people.

Statistics released by the Scottish Government showed cash spent by councils on providing personal care services to older people in their own homes had risen steadily each year, from £133m in 2003-4 to £318m in 2009-10, a rise of 139 per cent.

Over the same period, the amount of money spent by councils on free personal and nursing care to self-funding residents in care homes increased from £86m to £108m – up 25 per cent.

Both figures combined bring the total to £426m.

Under the Scottish Government’s free-care policy, people aged 65 or over who live in care homes and are assessed as self-funders are eligible for a weekly payment of £153. They can also received a further payment of £69 if they are deemed to require nursing care. The increased amount spent looking after the elderly in their own homes can be explained by the increase in the number of people in receipt of free personal care at home – up from 32,870 in 2003-4 to 46,260 in 2009-10, a rise of 40.7 per cent.

At the same time, the proportion of older home-care clients requiring personal care services has increased from 57 per cent in 2003-4 to 86 per cent. This has been accompanied by an increase in the average number of hours of care required by a home-based elderly person, rising from 6.9 hours per week to 7.6 hours.

The report, Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2009-10, said: “This more than doubling of spend over the last six years reflects the fact that an increasing proportion of older people are cared for at home, rather than in hospital or care homes. Increasingly, home care workers are providing personal care services rather than domestic services and people living at home have increasing levels of need.”

The free-care policy was introduced by the old Labour/Lib Dem administration which ran the Scottish Government before the rise of the SNP. The policy, however, has been embraced by the SNP and has also been supported by the Conservatives.

But yesterday, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: “Perhaps it is time in Scotland that we stop all the self-congratulations around free personal nursing care and start a debate on how we are going to provide a more cost-effective and comprehensive system of elderly care.”

He suggested the merger of health and social care budgets run by local authorities would save cash.

“The Sutherland Report nearly ten years ago recommended the merger of health and social care budgets, but little has happened in the interim,” he said. “This change now needs to happen. Without it, given the pressures on local authority budgets, those in need of social care will suffer from a poorer service.”

Mr Fraser’s call for joined-up health and social care budgets was supported by a leading charity for the elderly.

Lindsay Scott, a spokesman for Age Scotland, said: “The integration of health and social care must now be a priority for the Scottish Government.”

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government remained committed to its free-care policy.

“These figures show that each year, an increasing number of older people continue to benefit from free personal and nursing care,” she said.

“The challenges posed by an ageing population demonstrate why we want to see health and social care for adults delivered in an integrated way by the NHS. This is why we have created a £70m Change Fund to help partnerships redesign services for the benefit of all those involved.”