Care home funding: lessons from Scotland
Scrap means testing for personal care and regulate care home charges The care home market in the UK is characterised by rising fees, inadequate capacity, and deteriorating care standards.12345 As governments in England and Scotland review how care is funded, lessons can be learnt from the Scottish model, which since 2002 has offered free personal and nursing care to people over 65. The Scottish parliament’s objective was to provide universal care in line with the NHS model, but implementation has revealed injustices for care home residents and their families. Care home residents in Scotland with assets below £35 000 qualify for public funding. Rates are negotiated nationally through the national care home contract but are based on the minimum cost of care.6 Self-funders (with assets above the limit) receive fixed weekly care payments of £360.40 but must cover all additional costs themselves. However, with no cap on what care homes can charge self-funders,78 in reality, care is not nece
