Warnings Over Social Work Funds

The cost of free personal care for the elderly has been blamed for a growing budget deficit within Inverness area’s social work department. City councillors fear the gap could widen to £1m unless cuts are made. Transport and home care expenditure is also in the firing line and the cost of looking after 25 people, who have care packages worth £1.2m, will be reviewed. The department’s current deficit is £350,000 for the first three months of the financial year. Area social work chairman Jimmy MacDonald warned this could exceed £1m by next April unless it was controlled.

Social work manager John Dunlop said free personal care was a heavy financial burden because the council was not fully funded by the Scottish Executive.

In Inverness, 25 people with homecare packages costing more than £1.2m, could face reduced services or different models of support.

Councillor Margaret Davidson said people were not prepared to pay higher taxes for better social work care. She said hard decisions would have to be made by the council before the winter.

The Scottish Executive considers free personal care as a flagship policy. However, according to its own figures, released in June, 4,000 people across Scotland are on waiting lists for free care.