Frank’s Law will be launched with sufficient funds to ensure fairness

Calls for Frank’s Law to be launched with enough cash to ensure no patient misses out have been answered.

Councils demanded £30 million for the extension of free personal care to under-65s with debilitating conditions, which is due to be rolled out in April.

The sum was pledged in the Budget and should mean the 9,000 people likely to need the state-funded support in 2019-20 will get it.

The Budget document said they will implement the “commitment to extend free personal care to all those under 65 who need it with our investment of £30 million”.

Amanda Kopel fought the campaign in the name of her husband Frank, the former Dundee United defender who passed away in 2014.

Supported by The Courier, last year she won a change in the law to end age discrimination in the care system.

Meanwhile, the health budget was handed an extra £730m for day-to-day spending, with boards in Courier Country to get a £52m boost. Much of that cash has come from consequentials from the UK Budget.

NHS Tayside funding is rising £28m to £763m, while Fife’s is to go up £24m to £661m.

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said the increase in the resource budget for health and sport, up 5.5% on the previous year, confirms “health is a top priority for the government”.

He said the rise would take spending levels to £754m over and above inflation since 2016-17.

A Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh spokesman called for the rise to be “targeted and effective”.

Dr Alasdair Forbes, of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, said: “We hope to see an appropriate portion of the funding announced in today’s budget go to general practice and primary care.”