Dispelling the Myths #8: Personal Care

What about free personal care for older people?

The SNP remain absolutely committed to free personal care, which delivers better quality of life for 77,000 older vulnerable people in Scotland.

• We believe it is only right that older people feel fully supported to live at home or in a homely setting within their own communities for a long as possible.
  

The Scottish Parliament’s commitment to free personal care says a lot about the society we want to live in. With independence we will be able to transform Scotland guided by these same values.

• Only with independence will Scotland be protected from George Osborne’s failed and discredited austerity programme, which has imposed massive cuts on the Scottish budget.

• We have the power to protect our health and social care systems but because benefits and pensions are reserved, we are powerless to protect Scots from the worst aspects of welfare cuts.

• It will also give us the opportunity to create a welfare system in line with health and social care:

1) Attendance allowance (AA) benefit was withdrawn by the UK Government for older people receiving FPNC in 2001.

2) It has been estimated that £270m worth of AA benefit payments have been denied to older people in Scotland since 2001.