Sturgeon to review dementia category

NICOLA Sturgeon has promised to investigate if 10,000 people in Scotland with advanced dementia are having their care needs wrongly categorised in a way which is costing them £50 million a year.

The First Minister was pressedon the issueby Labour’s Jackie Baillie following an appeal by Henry Mcleish in The Herald on Sunday three years after a landmark report.

The former first minister said the situation facing patients was a “moral outrage”.

Ms Baillie said “little action” had been taken on key recommendations.

She added: “We know that people with advanced dementia are having their healthcare needs classified as social care and are wrongly being asked to pay more than £50 million.

“If those needs were designated as healthcare needs, those people would be treated free at the point of need. Will the First Minister act now to ensure that unfair and unjustifiable approach is changed, so that people with advanced dementia are treated with equity and fairness, and are classed as having healthcare needs?”

Ms Sturgeon said: “I will of course look into those matters and specifically at the suggestion that people’s care needs are being wrongly designated.”