Increase to care allowances

The Scottish Government has announced a 7.5 per cent increase in the personal and nursing care allowances for people who pay for their residential care.

The increase takes into account the rising cost of care, particularly for people with dementia, and will come into effect in April.

Scottish legislation ensures that adults of any age, no matter their condition, capital or income, assessed by their local authority as needing personal and nursing care, are entitled to receive it free of charge.

Care home residents with monies above the Capital Limit (currently £28,500) are known as self-funders.

Local authorities make payments, directly to the residential care provider on a weekly basis, to cover personal care (currently £180 per week) and nursing care (currently at £81 per week) fees.

Welcoming the news, Arran’s MSP Kenneth Gibson said: ‘I’m pleased that allowances paid to people who selffund their residential care will increase by 7.5 per cent.

‘Care home costs have risen above inflation and I know how welcome additional funding will be to islanders with relatives in residential homes.

‘I’m also pleased that The Independent Review of Adult Social Care was published on February 4 as part of the Scottish Government’s wider reforms to the way residential care is funded and delivered.’

Each year, taking into account inflation, the allowance for personal and nursing care has increased, by 1.57 per cent in 2019 and 1.84 per cent in 2020, which would have meant an increase of 1.94 per cent for this year.

This announcement will now bring the amount up to £193.50 for personal care and £87.10 for nursing care, an increase of 7.5 per cent and four times higher than previous years.