Relatives of care home residents say more must be done to address a growing price gap between those funding their own care places and those being paid for by councils.

It comes as campaigners say families are experiencing sharp rises in private care home fees.

Research compiled this year shows self-funding care home residents are now paying on average 40% more than those who are publicly-funded.

That compares with 24% a decade ago.

Meanwhile, a proposed National Care Service is currently the subject of a bill making its way through the Scottish Parliament.

For the last 20 years, Scotland has been providing free personal and nursing care, including in residential homes.

How much that care is worth is determined by a cost model negotiated by Cosla – which represents local authorities administering care – and the private care companies that run the majority of homes in Scotland.

Different councils have different funding arrangements but the model sets out the maximum care homes can charge the local authority to care for someone wholly funded by the public.

In 2022, the maximum charge is £719 per week for residential care and £832 for those who also require nursing care.

Only those with assets or savings below £18,500 will be funded in this way.

For those with assets above £29,750, they are unable to claim and must fund their own place in a care home. However, they are still eligible for local authority payments towards their care totalling £308.

Data released by Public Health Scotland revealed that the average weekly cost for someone in publicly-funded residential care is now £856.

Meanwhile, self-funders pay on average £1,200 a week.

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