Personal care money should be restored
29 Apr 08
Lord Sutherland calls on Westminster to pay for attendance allowance costs
The attendance allowance for elderly people in care homes in Scotland should be restored, according to a report on the policy of free personal care for the elderly.
Lord Sutherland, who drew up the original policy, said that Westminster should ensure the benefit situation was the same for elderly people in care homes anywhere in the UK. The attendance allowance was removed for Scotland five years ago after the policy was introduced.
He said that while an extra £40 million a year in funding was needed over the next five years to enable the scheme to be fully implemented across Scotland, about £30 million of that would be recovered if the benefit position was restored.
Other measures recommended are clearer guidelines on assistance with preparing meals as part of the scheme, and on cases where an elderly person wishes to move to another area to be nearer family; standardised eligibility criteria; accurate monitoring of costs; and improved local accountability.
Questions remain over the longer term affordability of the scheme, as the number of elderly people rises, and the review says the policy must be considered as part of a wider approach to community care, including new models of supported accommodation to enable the elderly to retain some independence.
Lord Sutherland said that as a whole, the free personal care policy had worked well for elderly people and had proved popular.
Anne McGuire, the UK Minister for Disabled People, said the funding of the Scottish Government’s programmes were a matter for that government, and that attendance allowance was not given to anyone anywhere in the UK who received help from public funds towards the costs of accommodation, board or personal care.