Peter Lazenby
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SOCIAL care for Scotland’s elderly and vulnerable people could be “transformed” if swollen reserves of cash were released by the Scottish government, Scottish Labour said today.
Figures newly published by Audit Scotland, which oversees public funds, show that the financial reserves held by health and social care boards have grown in a single year from £570 million to more than £1.2 billion.
The money, which includes more than £50m in “unearmarked” funds for which there are no plans, is held by independent joint boards set up to integrate health and social care in Scotland.
Scottish Labour put the cost of eradicating charges for social care provision at £51m and called for money from the reserves to be used for that purpose, adding that both the SNP and the Greens have voted down this idea despite pledging to abolish the charges.
Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “These soaring reserves give us an unprecedented opportunity to transform social care.
“It is scandalous that boards are racking up millions of pounds of unused reserves while people are still struggling to get care packages or respite care.
“Instead of hoarding this extra funding, we need to put it to good use by restoring all the services cut away during the pandemic and by scrapping non-residential care charges now.
“We have a chance to start breaking down the barriers stopping people getting the care they need and piling pressure on unpaid carers, but the SNP-Green government need to show some leadership to deliver it.”
The Scottish government was invited to comment.
