Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson has praised the expansion of free personal care saying it is good news for Largs and Millport.

This includes assistance with personal hygiene, eating and drinking, immobility problems, management of medication and personal safety.

Free Personal Care is not available in England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

Until now, the provision of free personal care, applied to those aged 65 or older.

Now, anyone assessed in Largs and Millport or anywhere in Scotland as requiring personal care will now receive it free of charge, regardless of their age, condition, capital asset or income.

Mr Gibson said: “While certain conditions impact more on older people, such as dementia, there are over 600 people across Ayrshire who are not quite 65 years old who are also have the condition. Expanding free personal care to them is absolutely the right thing to do.

“For people in care homes, the SNP Government increased personal care payments so that residents are now entitled to £177 per week for their care provider. In North Ayrshire 1,590 people currently receive free personal care at home and 320 in a care home."

This change will help thousands of people across Scotland receive the support that they are entitled to without being impacted financially, with £30m extra funding going to local authorities in Scotland to ensure the programme can be delivered in full.