The Scottish executive set out its plans for the future of long-term care for the elderly in Scotland on Wednesday afternoon.

Health and community care minister Susan Deacon told the parliament: "We will extend the provision of free care to a wider range of people and further remove the existing inequities and different care settings."

However, the executive has backed away from implementing the full proposals of the Royal Commission on the funding of long-term care for the elderly, which concluded that only the board and lodging element of care should be means tested. Everything else, the Sutherland report argued, should be free - including nursing care and "personal care" such as help with bathing.

Deacon recognised that there are "a range of views" within the coalition "about the final destination" but argued that both Labour and the Lib Dems want to make progress in the same direction.

"There has been much talk in this debate of distinctions between nursing and personal care. But, the reality is that different individuals have different levels of need which do not fit neatly into such boxes", Deacon claimed.

Rejecting the provision of free "personal care" across the board, she said the executive would "target resources to those identified as having the greatest needs".

It was also announced that the executive is to establish an expert development group to report in August with further recommendations on implementation, costs, and 'cross border' issues. A new 'single needs assessment system' will also be piloted and a Long Term Care Bill will be introduced later this year to set in train the necessary legislative changes.

Deacon also pledged that the Scottish Cabinet would make additional resources for long-term care "a top priority".

The announcement brings the Scottish executive into line with the position in England and Wales where the party has decided that only nursing care should be fully publicly funded.

Responding to the statement for the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon said it would be "received with dismay" across Scotland and accused ministers of "toeing the London line".

With the parliament's Health and Community Care Committee also having recommended "that free personal care should be provided on the basis of assessed need" pressure is likely to remain for Scotland to develop a more generous system of care than is planned for England and Wales.