SOCIAL care for Scotland’s elderly and vulnerable people could be “transformed” if swollen reserves of cash were released by the Scottish government, Scottish Labour said today.

Figures newly published by Audit Scotland, which oversees public funds, show that the financial reserves held by health and social care boards have grown in a single year from £570 million to more than £1.2 billion.

The money, which includes more than £50m in “unearmarked” funds for which there are no plans, is held by independent joint boards set up to integrate health and social care in Scotland.