A council candidate who previously highlighted statistics showing pressure on social care could see over 50,000 Fife patients spend longer in hospital than necessary, has welcomed plans to transform social care in Scotland by delivering free residential care for over 65s.
Graeme Downie, Scottish Labour candidate for West Fife and Coastal Villages, welcomed the announcement by Scottish Labour Leader, Anas Sarwar MSP and Deputy Leader, Jackie Baillie MSP, at the party’s annual conference which took place in Glasgow this weekend.
Under the plans, from 2023/24 future health and care Barnett consequentials will be used to cover the cost of residential care for older people aged over 65 – lifting a huge financial burden from the backs of thousands of Fifers.
Mr. Downie believes that by helping people get the care that they need in residential care, it will free up capacity in the NHS by preventing people from ending up in hospital when they don’t need to be there.
Better support in the community can prevent long delays to hospital discharge, reduce the need for hospital care at end of life and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
The vital importance of our social care sector has only become more apparent through the pandemic.
The announcement is part of a bold plan to build a National Care Service worthy of the name and fit for the future including:
- Delivering fair pay for social care workers, rising to £15 an hour.
- Plugging the gap in non-residential care funding identified by the Feeley Report.
- Investing in restoring and increasing respite care to support Scotland’s unpaid carers.
Commenting on the announcement, Graeme Downie, Scottish Labour candidate for West Fife & Coastal Villages said:
“I raised the issue of delayed discharge a few months ago with shocking statistics showing that over 50,000 people in Fife could spend longer in hospital than needed because of pressure on social care.”
“We need bold and immediate action to arrest the crisis we are already seeing in social care services in Fife and which seems will inevitably get worse if radical steps are not taken.”
“The announcement this weekend by Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie is exactly the kind of bold solution we need to tackle the crisis we see in our social care services. This plan would provide residential care to everyone over the 65 who needs it – free at the point of need – and I look forward to campaigning on this issue during the remainder of the campaign and beyond.”