No resolution in care dispute

Thousands of elderly rely on private nursing homes

Crucial talks in a dispute over elderly care home fees have broken up without a resolution.

However, Scottish Care, which represents 800 private homes, has agreed not escalate its dispute while details of increases at council level are clarified.

Scottish Care had been threatening not to accept any further patients from next week if its demands for increased fees are not met. Chairman Joe Campbell said that although Thursday's meeting in Edinburgh had not involved more money, he was hopeful that a resolution could be found.

Homes want an extra £50 per week per resident

Scottish Care representatives met officials from the Scottish Executive and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) to discuss promised extra funding of £17.5m.

Mr Campbell said: "I've always been hopeful that common sense will prevail.

"We had a good discussion today, but no more money on the table.

"It has got to be about money because we've been going backwards since 1993 in terms of income because no annual increments have matched inflation.

"The community care sector is an extremely expensive one and we've been moving backwards all the time.

"Today we thrashed out the basis for the £7.5m increase in funding this year and the £10m in funding next year.

'New money'

"We're not at all sure how that equates local authority by local authority.

"So, we have asked Cosla to find this out for us and we're coming back to a meeting on the 15th of August."

Cosla social work spokeswoman Rita Miller said: "The money that was on the table was £7.5m for the remainder of this year, and £10m for next year.

"This is new money.

"We're quite pleased that Scottish Care have stepped back from the brink.

Referrals refusal

"My understanding is that there is another meeting on 15 August and during the two weeks between now and the 15th there will be some work done at a local level in order that the offer at local level will be clarified, because, in fact, each individual care home does negotiations with each local authority."

Private care homes are already refusing to accept referrals by Aberdeen City Council.

Scottish Care members in the North and South Lanarkshire areas have also given their respective councils the required six months' notice before imposing the same restrictions.