Conservative list MSP Jackson Carlaw has said that the Scottish Government ‘has to do much better’ in caring for our elderly population.

Mr Carlaw voiced the fears following Scotland’s annual spend of £4.5 billion on care for the elderly is “unsustainable,” a detailed report has warned.

Audit Scotland also said that changes in the way services deal with over 65s have to be accelerated, with progress on the introduction of the Scottish Government’s Reshaping Care for Older People described as “slow”.

He highlighted that the report states that local authorities and health boards are now struggling to make the changes necessary while meeting current needs, while the annual bill for elderly care will reach a staggering £8 billion by 2031 if reforms are not made.

‘Reshaping care for older people’ also revealed that 25 per cent of the population will be over 65 by 2035, compared to 17 per cent now.

And by 2035, the proportion of people aged 100 and over will increase by 827 per cent.

The report urged the Scottish Government to monitor more closely the changes that were taking place, encouraging councils and NHS boards to share each other’s examples of proven best practice.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman and deputy leader Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “Caring for our ageing population is proving to be one of the great challenges of our time. It is welcome that people are living longer and healthier lives, but with that comes a monumental fiscal burden.

“The job to change services to cope with this is a complex one, but this report clearly highlights areas where the Scottish Government has to do much better.

“Preparation for this should have begun long before now, but there is still time to get this issue sorted.

“Spending billions each year in this fashion is completely unsustainable, and I find it surprising that the Scottish Government hasn’t taken more care to monitor the success of changes that have been made.”