Care roll-out report is published

Protestors demanded an update at Fife Council's last full meeting

About 350 assessments of whether people can afford to pay for home-care services have been carried out in Fife.

The details have been revealed in an interim report published by the council in response to calls for an update on the progress of the assessments.

The pressure group CAC (Campaign against Charges) had staged a protest inside the headquarters of Fife Council demanding to know what was happening.

A full report on care-charges will go before councillors in September.

Roll-out programme

The benefit maximisation assessments have been designed to ensure that people who receive home-care are claiming their financial entitlements, the authority said.

They are being carried out alongside the roll-out programme on home-care charges.

Representatives of CAC had claimed that the whole process had not been fair or transparent.

Social work bosses said they had written to the group offering to discuss their concerns in person.

Stephen Moore, executive director of social work, said: "The process of individually assessing all service users is now well under way and the remainder of the assessments will take place between now and October.

"This has been and will be a personalised process for each and every one affected. We have said from the beginning that only those who can afford to pay will be asked to pay and we will ensure that no-one is left without the necessary support to keep them safe, healthy and supported within their home.

"Benefit maximisation has been a crucial stage of the assessment programme. We need to make sure that those who are most vulnerable are receiving all the benefits which they are entitled to.

"Last year, this initiative generated �1m of additional income for people over the age of 65."

Up to a dozen protestors, some in wheelchairs, chained themselves together and disrupted the last full meeting of councillors at Fife House.

Some were shouting out their calls for the roll-out policy to be explained, claiming many people were being left in the dark not knowing when they would be assessed.

The police were called but the protestors were not moved on.

Several attempts were made to restart the meeting but the provost Francis Melville eventually abandoned proceedings.

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