Published 9 November 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4639
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4639
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Free personal care in Scotland may have to end, amid public spending pressure
Bryan Christie
1 Edinburgh
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Free public services such as personal care for elderly people may have to be reconsidered in Scotland as public spending comes under pressure, an influential report has warned.
Audit Scotland calculates that if current spending levels continue, Scotland will overspend its budget by between £1.2bn (
1.3bn; $2bn) and £2.9bn by 2013-14. The 2% efficiency savings target set by the Scottish government will not be enough to fill this gap.
The Scottish budget, which mostly comes in a block grant from the UK parliament, could be cut by between 7% and 13% by 2013-14.
Audit Scotland said, "It will be very challenging to maintain current levels of public services and meet new demands when resources are tight." Difficult decisions will then have to be made among competing priorities.
Its report identifies a number of increased costs that have come from extending free services in recent years. Free personal care for
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