Personal care in Scotland is free only where such care falls within a precise legal definition, which some local authorities find difficult to understand and charge unnecessarily as a result, according to Alison Bowes at the University of Sterling.
A report Bowes co-wrote for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Financial care models in Scotland and the UK – found many people believe all personal care in Scotland is free, whereas in fact means-testing is still carried out for payments towards 'hotel' costs, such as food and accommodation associated with normal living. Bowes says the difficulty lies in determining where personal care ends and social care begins. Under the Health and Community Care Act 2002, nursing care is defined as interventions requiring a registered nurse, while personal care means: “…care which relates to the...
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