‘Unfair’ social care charges must be scrapped – report

Social care charges are “unfair and damaging” and should be scrapped, a report has said.

The report, titled Time To End Social Care Charging In Scotland, was conducted by the Scottish Women’s Budget Group for anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and says disabled people are being denied help with their basic needs.

The Scottish Government said it would end non-residential social care charges in 2021, but the report says no real progress has been made since.

Researchers reviewed more than a decade of publications on social care charging, examining how it works, and spoke to disabled people, councillors and other officials.

They found “considerable variation” in the charges levelled for social care, which is non-residential practical support for disabled and older people, such as help at home with laundry or shopping, or day care and transport to it, meals and lunch clubs.

The report also found that people with the same needs are being charged differently depending on where they live.

One disabled person said they had to give up washing themselves regularly because of the charges, and another said they were left so short of money as a result that they are unable to do anything other than sit at home alone.

One person said: “If a human rights approach was taken, I should be able to shower every day.”

Another added: “To be a disabled person – especially one needing social care support – is to live a life without choices or any sense of personal autonomy.

“The financial context determines whether disabled people have human rights and are even able to be in charge of our own life.

“We need to start from understanding of this as a fundamental injustice when planning how we might be heard or even dare to complain.”

The report says the current system is complex, lacks transparency, and councils’ charging decisions are driven primarily by budget as opposed to data.

One councillor interviewed anonymously told researchers that “for the most part”, decisions were based on “no data, just vibes”.

Researchers estimate the charges pull in £50 million a year, but warned the real figure may be higher, with the report stating they are being “borne by a small group of people, some of whom are on very low incomes, to enable councils to set a balanced budget.”

It added: “While those administering these policies aim for fairness within a complex system, current charging policies leave working-age households with very low incomes that are unfair and damaging.”

Chris Birt, Joseph Rowntree Foundation associate director for Scotland, said: “Politicians need to keep their promise to end social care charging. Our report shows the policy is unfair and inconsistent across Scotland, and is leaving those who are already struggling facing further hardship.

“Some of the experiences detailed by disabled people in the report are truly shocking, illustrating the need for urgent action.

“We know that significant reductions in poverty will only happen if disabled people’s lives are improved, and ending social care charging would be a good first step.

“More than half of children in poverty in Scotland live in a home where someone is disabled, so it would also help tackle child poverty.”

Report co-author Sara Cowan, of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group which campaigns for gender equality, said: “This research shines a light on a complex system that disabled people are expected to navigate in order to access care.

“The income threshold levels above which people are expected to pay for their care are shockingly low, and keep people in poverty.

“Politicians committed to ending charges and it’s time they stepped up and fulfilled the commitment.”

Tressa Burke, chief executive of Glasgow Disability Alliance, said: “Social care charges are a backdoor tax that only disabled people pay. We need a concerted effort by the Scottish Government and Cosla towards ending these charges, and to halting the default use of disability benefits to fund them.

“Disability benefits such as the adult disability payment are intended to help towards the extra costs of being disabled, but this is being undermined by social care charging practices which plunge disabled people and their families into further and deeper poverty.”

The report says the Scottish Government and Cosla must set out a clear plan to remove the charges, councils must implement a more consistent and fairer approach to financial assessment, and they must also commit to greater transparency.

It added both must boost their use of evidence, involve people in need of social care support services to support further progress, and that there should be a commitment to fully resource social care.

Social care and mental wellbeing minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome this report, which highlights the need for fairer, more consistent social care charging.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to ending non-residential social care charges and will work with Cosla to chart a sustainable path towards this goal.”

Cosla health and social care spokesman Paul Kelly said: “I want to reassure you that I do not underestimate the severity of the challenges and the subsequent impact on people receiving services, their care partners, and families.

“I will continue to lobby for social care services to ensure the services we operate, and commission, are sustainable now and into the future.”