Statement following the publication of the Scottish Government’s Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland and the Latest Population Survey.

Dr Donald Macaskill, Scottish Care CEO said:

“The latest figures on the cost of providing Free Personal Care for those over 65 in Scotland do not come as a surprise. We recognise that work is underway with Scottish Government to capture more accurate data. However as they are, these figures are illustrative of two key issues. The first is that more and more people are living for longer which is confirmed by the latest Population Survey. This is something we should celebrate. Secondly, unfortunately people might be living for longer but not always in good health. These people require to be supported either in their own home or in a care home. Indeed the fact that we are spending less on care home placements shows that more individuals are being supported to live at home. It is a matter of concern that despite a significant increase in the clinical needs of individuals in care homes, significant increases in cost pressures such as staff salaries,  somehow today we are spending less on their care than two years ago.

 

“In the years to come these figures will keep rising and so they should. Why? Firstly, because people are living longer and secondly, because if we want a decent quality care system which supports the human rights and dignity of those Scots who need it; we cannot get care on the cheap and will require to pay for it. After all if we value the work of our carers we should not be paying them amongst the lowest rates of pay in our nation.

 

“Given our ageing population we have to ask ourselves, when we see these figures, are we paying enough? Local authorities because of the lack of funding due to austerity have raised the level at which individuals can get free care and support. This means that there are thousands of Scots who are having to pay for their own care who do not come into these figures. The sad reality is that many families who can ill afford it are having to pay for care today who would not have had to ten years ago. In addition if we are ever to take prevention seriously, that is to have support and care that stops people unnecessarily ending up in hospital, then we need to invest more in the care of older Scots not less.

 

“If you speak to the workers who are allocated 15 minutes to get someone up and fed in a morning and are supposed to do so in a manner which is relaxed and dignified – then you will hear them say we are not spending anywhere near enough on the care of our vulnerable population.

 

“These annual returns, and especially the fact that we have over the last two years spent less, should hold a mirror to the broken health and care system in our country; a system where workers struggle to provide dedicated care and where too many live isolated lives because their care has been withdrawn. The radical reform of a social care system where you price the worth of care by the minutes is long overdue. A civilised society should be spending a lot more on care.”

This year’s Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC) conference will be held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on Wednesday 28 November 2018. Bookings are now open for Scotland’s premiere event for anyone involved in the care and support of people reaching the end of life.

Featuring a mix of high quality speakers, extensive poster display, arts space, exhibition area and delegate interaction the SPPC Annual Conference will provide delegates with:

• an opportunity for learning relevant to practice and workplace
• a chance to network, to share information and good practice
• challenging perspectives and energising inspiration.

Call for posters:
Are you involved in an interesting project or in an area of work that you would like to discuss with or show to other conference attendees? Why not present your work in the poster exhibition which is an essential part of
learning and sharing best practice at the conference. With forty-six poster exhibits at the 2017 conference, you are invited to make the most of this very worthwhile networking opportunity this year. Poster presenters
should be prepared to give a brief 5-minute presentation on their poster should it win the People’s Poster Vote on the day. Other than the delegate fee, no charge will be made to you for presenting your poster(s) at the conference.

Call for Exhibition Stands / Publication Displays:
Once again this year there will be an opportunity to exhibit at this event. The exhibitor area at the conference provides generous space for exhibitions and displays with direct access to the catering area, seating, posters and breakout rooms. Other than the delegate fee there is no charge to any voluntary organisations who exhibit at the conference. If you are at all interested in presenting a poster or bringing along your exhibition or display stands, please contact Pauline Ellison for a proposal form for completion – [email protected]

To view more details, please click here.

Please note that the closing date for submissions for posters or exhibitions is Friday 09 November 2018.

All those attending in any capacity to present a poster/ set up and exhibit must register as a conference delegate and pay the appropriate delegate fee of £105 (members) or £145 (non-members). To book a place
at the conference, please follow this link: SPPC conference bookings