Social care service charges in East Ayrshire are set to rise for the first time since 2018, according to the council.

East Ayrshire Council’s cabinet this week agreed an updated Social Care Services Contribution and Charging Framework.

This sees the first increase in charges for services provided by the Health and Social Care Partnership since 2018.

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Charges for social care services are set in line with national guidance and approved by council each year, and income from charges is reinvested into social care services.

Personal and nursing care has been provided free of charge for people over 65 since 2002, and personal care similarly free for adults aged 18-64 since 2019.

Going forward, the maximum charge for non-residential community care services will increase by 10% from £107.32 to £118.05 per week.

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Along with this, the daily charge for day care services will rise by 10% from £3.39 to £3.73.

The weekly charge for the community alarm service will also increase from £4.31 to £4.75.

Charges do not apply to individuals who have an income below the standard weekly threshold, and charges can be waived in whole or in part by Heads of Service in cases of hardship. 

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Councillor Clare Maitland, Cabinet Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: “Our Community Planning Partners in East Ayrshire are committed to supporting people with health and social care needs who want to live at home independently, safely and for as long as possible, and the Council commits a significant proportion of its annual revenue budget to this priority.

“With costs rising significantly over the last few years, we must now increase charges for social care services so that we can continue to deliver these within the resources that we have available, while also recognising the increasing demand for these services.

"We need to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community.”