Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Official Report 605KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Community Care (Personal Care and Nursing Care) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 [Draft]

Our third agenda item is consideration of an affirmative Scottish statutory instrument. I welcome Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, who will give evidence to the committee. He is accompanied by Scottish Government officials: Marianne Barker is the unit head of adult social care charging; Ian Golightly is a policy manager in adult social care charging; and Clare Thomas is a policy manager in adult social care charging.

I invite the cabinet secretary to give a statement on the instrument.

Good morning, convener; I hope that you and the committee members are keeping safe and well.

I thank you for the opportunity to speak to the committee about the proposed amendment to the Community Care (Personal Care and Nursing Care) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 (SSI 2002/303).

I am sure that members are aware that the draft amendment regulations that are before the committee make a routine annual increase to the rates for free personal and nursing care. Those payments help to cover the cost of services for self-funding adults in residential care. Historically, the payments have increased in line with inflation. However, emerging evidence—including from the Scottish care home census—clearly shows that the cost of providing care has increased.

To help redress that, last year we made an above-inflation increase of 7.5 per cent to the rates of payment, which was a significant increase on the inflation rate that was previously used.

We feel that it is again appropriate to make an above-inflation increase to the rates this year, and the amendment regulations that are before you propose a 10 per cent uplift for 2022-23. That will mean that the weekly payment rates for personal care for self-funders will rise from £193.50 to £212.85, and the nursing care component will rise from £87.10 to £95.80.

It is estimated that that increase will cost around £15 million in the next financial year, which will be fully funded by additional provisions within the local government settlement, as outlined in the recent 2022-23 Scottish budget.

The most recent official statistics show that more than 10,000 self-funders receive free personal and nursing care payments, and they should all benefit from those changes. I am happy to take questions from the committee.

I see no indication that any member wishes to ask a question or contribute to a debate, so we move to formal consideration of the instrument.

Motion moved,

That the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee recommends that the Community Care (Personal Care and Nursing Care) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 [draft] be approved.

Motion agreed to.

At our next meeting on 1 March, the committee will receive an update from key stakeholders on tackling alcohol harms. We will also take evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on two affirmative SSIs. That concludes the public part of our meeting.

11:18 Meeting continued in private until 12:07.