Let's reflect
Can Scotland afford free personal care for the elderly? Put another way, should Scotland find the funds 芒鈧 from a fixed budget 芒鈧 for free personal care for the elderly?
Before you answer, reflect. Today芒鈧劉s says that implementation has been patchy, that old people are confused about what芒鈧劉s on offer and that the cost for local authorities is now outstripping the cash provided by the Scottish Government.
Before you answer, reflect again. Many people in Scotland already received free care in the past. That芒鈧劉s because they were assessed as needy.
The policy is reckoned to have cost 脗艁1.8b over four years 芒鈧 but, of that, some 脗艁1.2bn would have been spent anyway, without the policy switch.
Reflect further. By definition, the money spent on universal free care goes to the middle classes and those with disposable income.
That芒鈧劉s because they were the ones who didn芒鈧劉t receive support under the previous system.
That芒鈧劉s why some Labour Scottish Cabinet Ministers were opposed to the policy when it was introduced in 2001.
Reflect too that the policy was not introduced without cost. Roughly 脗艁30m a year was withdrawn from Scotland芒鈧劉s old folk in attendance allowance.
It was removed by Whitehall 芒鈧 because they were now in receipt of free care. In other words, their assessed need was being met elsewhere.
Jack McConnell became First Minister shortly after the introduction of FPC. He considered picking a fight with Westminster/Whitehall over attendance allowance 芒鈧 but decided, on balance, that he would hold his fire for other battles to come.
But then reflect on the alternative scenario. Elderly people dislike means testing.
Universal welfare provision is already familiar through, for example, child benefit. Free care fits that pattern.
Further, it could be argued that elderly people will not seek the care they need 芒鈧 if they suspect that cost will be incurred. (Although that case is rather countered by Audit Scotland芒鈧劉s finding that the elderly remain confused because of the postcode lottery of implementation.)
Today芒鈧劉s report is thorough, clear and dispassionate. It notes, drily, that the likely cost of this policy wasn芒鈧劉t properly assessed 芒鈧 and that it remains difficult to pin down the bill.
It presents Scotland with a choice. Dump this policy 芒鈧 or fix it. Fix it with more money and with action to end the anomalies.
The present Scottish Government is promising to fix it. They defend the policy in terms of ideology and popular appeal.
The success of that will, of course, be judged in the future.
For now, however, I would simply commend Audit Scotland for adding clarity to policy making.
As with, for example, the retention of local hospitals, Scotland may well decide in favour of a relatively costly option.
Scotland may be right to decide in favour of a relatively costly option. But we should do so openly and in possession of the full facts.
I'm 
Comments
This, 'free personal care' phrase is bandied about like a mantra. Let me make it clear just what it leterally means. It ONLY covers care that is PERSONAL, that is to say, bathing, changing dirty pads helping to the toilet. It does NOT cover shopping, cooking, cleaning or any of the other things we associate with home help service. The moment a council carer so much as throws a soiled garment in the washing machine whether or not that machine is subsequently switched on, charges apply. And these charges are astonishing. Even so-called, 'middle class' elderly can find the charges in excess of 脗艁200.00 per month. I speak form experience here when my late mother was receiving the services of Inverclyde Council. On at least one occasion, the odd 'spy' was sent in to make sure her regular home help did not do more than her duty. Councils need to have more funding to continue existing care based on this policy but councils need to be supervised too. Someday most of us will need this kind of help.
Why no comments allowed on this story
pretty sure that fight for the 脗艁30 million in attendance allowance will happen this time
I am, and always have been, a defender of a free Health Service. However, I read with dismay that in order to get his Budget through Parliament, John Swinney is having to take 脗艁3m from the Health Budget to fund extra police officers to pound the beat, in order to satisfy Conservative demands. So I have E-mailed the FM, with a suggestion that we in Scotland copy the Irish, and have a hospitals Sweepstake - or Lottery, call it what you will; the proceeds, after expenses, going to our own Health Service. I am sure that it would be supported. After all, some folk spend a small fortune on the National Lottery. Not I. I am not in sympathy with their "worthy causes". However, I would support a Hospitals Lottery to the hilt. How about it?>
Listened to the radio and a guy from age concern.
He stated that using hard numbers it would appear that there will be a shortfall.
However he pointed out that the life expectancy is increacing and the healthy time is increacing also. He felt that it was not practical to just use numbers to calculate the future countries needs.
Indeed the system will have to be trimmed/expanded in many areas but we should understand that we are all (hopefully) going to get older and need help. Everyone should support it.
Scottish Lottery now there is a good idea... Scots are known to spend more on th Lottery than the rest of the country. Perhaps that is a sad reflection but it could be a great opportunity.
I too agree with free personel care.
I also believe it has substantial costs, and we must pay for it one way or another (even if it comes to increases in personel taxation as what we dont spend througout our lives will go to looking after us later). The difficulty being that no-one wants to pay for it, or remove monies from other needed facilities to pay for it. This is a real problem given a minoritry administration and especially such a polarised minority administration with unionists on one side and the nationalist minority government on the other. Id like to think since both the scottish Labour and the nationalists support this they will find the funding and organisation to fix this policy without delay to make some cheap politcal points.
this policy was set up by the last (lot) although it was supported by the parliament as a whole,it WAS flaWED asso many other things were,
(left behind after the flitting)so
it needs fixing,it will be!!
its up to us to look after our old
people as they looked after us,after WE'RE ALL GETTING OLDER,but
are we any wizer.
Brian, something that may have been forgotten is that ( and I have personal knowledge )many Scots nursing homes jacked up their monthly fees in the weeks after the introduction of FPC once the resident ( or relative paying the bill ) felt good about the reduced monthly bill. So my mother in Aberdeen's total bill became way over that of a friend in Tunbridge Wells when previously they had been the same. Is this profiteering or what ?
We'll all need it one day. We have a choice, Tridenmt on the Clyde or look after our old folks. Brown wants a bomb we can never use.
Thanks for very interesting article. btw. I really enjoyed reading all of your posts. It鈥檚 interesting to read ideas, and observations from someone else鈥檚 point of view鈥 makes you think more.
So please keep up the great work. Greetings.
Do we in Scotland wish to follow a Scandinavian model where people pay fair taxes and the state provides quality services.
Or do we wish to follow an American model where the services you recieve are determined by your wage packet.
Me thinks the former!
I organised free care for my late mother. It was an appalling waste of public money. The local social work chap was brilliant, but admitted that the agencies they used were "patchy" - although he tried to get my mum a better one. My poor old mum ended up throwing the "carer" out of her home. This "carer" stood smoking as my mother tried to bathe herself, and when she asked for help with drying, she threw the towel to her. The agencies are ripping off the service and those in need of care are getting very little help. Time to scrap it!
Another silly, populist idea that was never understood in its implications, or properly costed. But then, the Treasury did warn the Comrades they were opening a can of worms.
afternoon: as most of the other posters are saying, your right brian , we need to stop and reflect. do we want to continue kidding our selves on that we are one of the big boys and flash millions of pounds that we can't actually afford and fight other peoples battles for them or do we sort out our own back yard first? we have heard from politician after politician down thru the years that child poverty was no.1 priority. and so it was until uncle sam came calling time after time and our politicians dropped/drop everything they were/are doing and child poverty , drug and drink culture, pensioners, infrostructure,all the things our country needs go out the window.i suggest our leaders in westminster should be the next thing out the window!!