Right to Care

The UK situation

Scotland

Scotland is paving the way in the provision of state-funded personal care. The Scottish Executive has announced that from 1 July 2002:

All personal care charges for people cared for in their own homes will be abolished
Everyone needing nursing care - whether at home or in a care home - will receive it free of charge
For those cared for in residential accommodation and who are contributing towards the cost of their care a "free personal care" payment of £145 a week
For those in a nursing home a "free personal and nursing care" payment of £210 a week

This represents full implementation of the report of the Care Development Group, set up to make recommendations on implementation of free nursing and personal care in Scotland. However, implementation has been delayed by three months from the original planned start date of 1 April.

Furthermore, the Department for Work and Pensions has made clear that people in receipt of these payments will no longer be eligible for Attendance Allowance (currently worth either £55.30 or £37).

The Scottish Executive says the postponed implementation is based on the recommendation of the implementation steering group which felt that the new arrangements could not be completed in time for an April start.

However, others have pointed out that the three-month delay will save the Executive an amount approximately equivalent to the £23 million in lost Attendance Allowance.

Despite the delay, and despite the cash limits, Scotland now has the most progressive policy in the UK in relation to state funding for personal care.

It will be an important lever in the campaign for all nursing and personal care to be provided free, on the basis of need. And indeed it is already having an impact elsewhere in the UK.

Northern Ireland

A highly successful Right to Care campaign in Northern Ireland has forced a u-turn by the Executive. The Executive's draft budget for 2002-03 announced that the introduction of free nursing care was to be deferred and there was no mention of personal care or domicilary care.

Led by UNISON, Right to Care organised a major campaign which culminated in a mass lobby of Stormont in December. This sustained pressure led to the NI Assembly announcing that free nursing care would, after all, be introduced in October 2002.

Furthermore an interdepartmental group has been set up to consider the provision of free personal care, taking into account the recommendations of the Scottish Care Development Group.

Wales

Wales introduced flat-rate nursing care payments worth £100 a week for self-funding residents of nursing homes from December 2001. Although there is no provision for payments for personal care, the Welsh health minister Jane Hutt, has stated that the issue will be considered again as part of the review of services for older people.

England

In England nursing care payments worth £35, £70 or £110 per week were introduced for self funders in nursing homes from October 2001. Personal care continues to be means tested - effectively effectively an additional tax on older and disabled people.