Local authorites make peace offer to care home owners

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities made a formal offer
to care home owners in a bid to settle the dispute over fees for
private residential and nursing home fees, writes Reg
McKay.

Cosla says the new offer creates a baseline rate of £346
per week per resident for nursing home care and a similar increase
for residential care. It refuses to comment on what this will mean
as a weekly increase because all local authorities pay different
rates and calculate it in different ways.

The new funds from the Scottish executive, £7.5 million
this year and £10 million next year, will be allocated to
councils equably and it will be up to them to agree fees locally
with the private sector. Cosla is proposing that £346 per week
is the minimum paid for nursing care in every council though some,
as now, may choose to pay more.

The offer is almost certain to be rejected by Scottish Care,
which represents most private home owners. Last week the executive
had acknowledged that the new resources afforded an increase of
£10 per resident per week compared with the £50 Scottish
Care is seeking. Last week, Scottish Care rejected the
executive’s proposal and decided on escalating the ban on new
council-funded placements.

Cosla has asked Scottish Care to accept this interim solution,
cease all industrial action and join it in “a detailed review with
a view to reporting back in October/November on establishing a
framework of cost and quality issues to underpin the setting of
rates from 2002 onwards”.

Scottish Care, Cosla and the Scottish executive are due to meet
on 26 July to discuss the offer.