The SNP Government has been toldto end the ‘healthcare tax’ imposedon people in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, following adamning new report published by thecharity Alzheimer Scotland.
The Long Term Care Commission Report makes 16 key recommendations designed to safeguard and redefine the future of long term care in Scotland. It describes a fragmented residential care system at risk of collapse, which is failing to meet the diverse long term care needs of people with dementia. The charity also found that many Scots wrong believe that elderly care is free. ‘This is simply not true,’ said Alzheimer Scotland. ‘Many people – particularly those with advanced dementia – face care bills of thousands of pounds each week that would be free if they had any other terminal illness.’ SNP Government told to end ‘healthcare tax’ At present, the taxpayer contributes £248.70 a week for personal care and £111.90 a week for nursing care. However, care fees for self-funded dementia patients can range from £1,200 to £2,000 per week. Henry Simmons, Alzheimer Scotland chief executive, said: ‘It is simply unfair and must be stopped. Many thousands of people face this inequality because they are deemed to have a moderate estate, but this should not be the issue. This is never considered in any other part of our healthcare system and we desperately need to being an end to this inequality and unfairness. Simmons highlighted that long-term residential care for people with dementia has been developed largely through an open market approach, with no meaningful local plans or strategy.
‘This has led to a financially driven sector that is in a critical state – and in some areas at risk of collapse. We need an urgent and coherent assessment of local current and future needs, and we need to plan and design services that can meet these needs going forward,’ he said. ‘The Scottish Government must work closely with local health and social care partnerships to develop a strategy that will lead us through this crisis and prepare for growing future demands.’ Commission chair Mr McLeish, an ambassador for Alzheimer Scotland, said: ‘It is wholly wrong that people with complex care needs, such as those with advanced dementia, are categorised as having solely social care needs when their requirements clearly extend into the domain of health care. Scotland should remain open and receptive to adopting effective strategies from other countries to improve the experiences of older people and people with dementia. We must rethink how we deliver and fund care, now and in the future.’ The report has been welcomed by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, with president Professor Andrew Elder saying: ‘This is an important, comprehensive and timely report that identifies the severe challenges facing the long-term care sector in Scotland and seeks to address them.
