Social care ills

Rightly, social care is high profile in this general election. But Lesley Riddoch adopts the usual SNP Panglossian approach that everything is fine in Scotland because we have “free personal care” (Perspective, 22 May).

But that added no increase to the provision of care, and has been one factor in increasing the pressure on local councils, so reducing provision. Left to try to manage limited resources, councils have been forced to find ways to ration provision. The definition of personal care is very narrow, covering such things as help to get in and out of bed, washing, dressing etc. Eligibility is based on being in “substantial” or “critical” need, and as a result earlier preventative help is not available.

For someone in a care home Edinburgh Council last year was paying £170 per week to cover personal care costs, but a week’s total fee was in the region of £1,200. Anyone with assets of £24,000 or more (including the value of a house unless a partner still lives there) will have to pay the balance.

For home care personal care at its highest level will be four short visits in the day (or the cash equivalent to buy a service). Given the level of need someone has to have to get even this, most of those eligible need much more care, which mainly comes from family members, or, for those who can afford it, buying additional care hours. So whether in residential care or at home, many families still have to dig deep into savings.

There are no easy answers to the social care issue, but here in Scotland we first need to start accepting that there is a problem, otherwise it isn’t going to be addressed at all.

SHEILA GILMORE St Catherine’s Place, Edinburgh