Gap in social care spending between England and Scotland widens, with patients receiving 43 per cent more per head north of the border
- Britain faces a ‘perilous’ divide in social care spending, a think-tank has warned
- Scotland spent £445 per head compared to £310 per head in England last year
- English pensioners must fund their own care down to their last £23,250
Britain faces a ‘perilous’ divide in social care spending, with England lagging far behind Scotland, a think-tank warns.
North of the border £445 is spent per head each year – compared with just £310 per head south of it, according to figures from the Health Foundation.
That is a difference of 43 per cent. Wales spends 33 per cent more per head than England.
Britain faces a ‘perilous’ divide in social care spending, with England lagging far behind Scotland, a think-tank warns (stock image)
Pensioners in Scotland benefit from free personal care, while in England people must fund their own care down to their last £23,250 – including the value of their home – wiping out inheritances.
The charity’s Anita Charlesworth said social care was a victim of the ‘political impasse’
Ministers at Westminster have been promising a green paper on social care reform – but Brexit paralysis has delayed it.
The Health Foundation, an independent charity, said the disparity between Scotland and England had got worse and predicted a £4.4billion funding gap in England by 2023/24.
The charity’s Anita Charlesworth said social care was a victim of the ‘political impasse’.
‘If reform remains unaddressed, social care’s inadequacies will continue to undermine the NHS,’ she said.