Free Personal and Nursing Care: Methodology and background information, 2023-24

Variables collected in the Quarterly Monitoring Return

In 2023-14, data were collected through the Scottish Government’s Quarterly Monitoring Return, which was sent to all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities. The reutrn included eight variables relating to care home residents and Care at Home clients. The variable collected related to numbers of clients, hours of care provided, and cost of care provided. The same data were collected separately for people aged 18 to 64, and people aged 65 and over.

In 2023-24 the eight variables and tables in the Quarterly Monitoring Return were:

Care homes:

• Table 1 (a) - Number of long-stay residents supported in care homes on the last day of the quarter
• Table 1 (b) - Number of self-funders receiving FPC and FNC in care homes in the last week of the quarter
• Table 1 (c) - Number of self-funders receiving FPC only in care homes in the last week of the quarter

Care at Home:

• Table 2 (a) - Number of clients receiving Care at Home in the last week of the quarter
• Table 2 (b) - Amount of Care at Home provided (hours) in the last week of the quarter. [Note: not published.]
• Table 2 (c) - Number of clients receiving personal Care at Home in the last week of the quarter
• Table 2 (d) – Estimated cost of personal care provided to those counted in table 2 (c) in the last week of the quarter (£ value)
• Table 2 (e) – Estimated number of hours of personal care provided to those counted in table 2 (c) in the last week of the quarter (hours)

Calculated variables

The above eight variables collected in the Quarterly Monitoring Return were then used to calculate additional measures, as detailed here:

• Table 2 - Number of self-funders within care homes receiving FPNC payments
• Table 8 - Total estimated expenditure on FPNC payments to self-funders in care homes
• Table 9 - Estimated expenditure on FPC payments to self-funders in care homes
• Table 10 - Estimated expenditure on FNC payments to self-funders in Care Homes)
• Table 11 – Estimated expenditure on personal care services provided to Care at Home clients

Table numbers here refer to publication tables in the accompanying tables to the FPNC publication. Since 2021-22, separate Excel workbooks have been produced for ages 18 to 64 and 65 and over. The correspondence between publication table numbers and table numbers in the Quarterly Monitoring Return is shown at the end of this section.

Several of the below calculations involve multiplying by 365/28 (= 365/7/4) to convert from a weekly to a quarterly value. Dividing by 7 converts from a weekly to daily value (7 days in a week). Multiplying by 365 then converts this daily value to annual (365 days in a year). And then dividing by 4 converts from an annual to a quarterly value.

Calculation of Table 2: Self-funders in Care Homes receiving FPNC payments

Table 2 (Numbers of self-funders within Care Homes receiving FPNC payments) is calculated as the sum of tables 3 and 4:

Note that data are not collected on those receiving Free Nursing Care without Free Personal Care (i.e. those receiving FNC only). However, these numbers can be assumed to be very small. Therefore the number receiving both FPC and FNC is a good approximation for the number of people receiving FNC.

Calculation of Table 8: Total estimated expenditure on FPNC payments in care homes

Table 8 (Estimated expenditure on FPNC payments in Care Homes) is calculated as the sum of Tables 9 and 10:

Calculation of Table 9: Estimated expenditure on FPC in Care Homes

Table 9 (Estimated expenditure on FPC in Care Homes) was calculated by multiplying the weekly FPC payment amount (see Appendix 1: FPNC payment amounts) by the number of self-funders receiving FPC payments in Care Homes.

Since a negligible number of residents receive FNC without FPC, the number of residents receiving FPC is taken to be the same as the total number of residents receiving FPNC payments, as calculated in Table 2 above.

The result was then scaled up to a quarterly value by multiplying by 365/28. The annual total is taken as the sum of the four quarterly values for that year.

Calculation of Table 10: Estimated expenditure on FNC in Care Homes

Table 10 (Estimated expenditure on FNC in care homes) was calculated by multiplying the weekly FNC payment amount (see Appendix 1: FPNC payment amounts) by the number of self-funders receiving both FNC and FPC payments (Publication Table 3). It is assumed that the number of residents receiving FNC without FPC is negligibly small. Therefore the number receiving both FPC and FNC (Table 3) is a good approximation for the number of people receiving FNC.

The result was then scaled up to a quarterly value by multiplying by 365/28. The annual total was taken as the sum of the four quarterly values for that year.

Calculation of Table 11: Estimated expenditure on personal care services provided to Care at Home clients

For personal care to Care at Home clients, weekly estimates of expenditure in the last week of each quarter were directly provided to us by local authorities within the Quarterly Monitoring Return.

These quarterly values were then scaled up to a quarterly value by multiplying by 365/28. The annual total is taken as the sum of the four quarterly values for that year.

Correspondence between collected and published variable names

Table numbers and variable names differ slightly between the Quarterly Monitoring Return (where the data are collected) and the tables accompanying the FPNC publication.

The relationship between the variables in the Quarterly Monitoring Return, and the tables accompanying the 2023-24 FPNC publication, is show below. The first table name and number given describes the publication’s accompanying tables. The second name and number describe the variables collected in the Quarterly Monitoring Return.

Table 1: Care homes - Number of long-stay residents supported in care homes (FPNC publication tables). From Table 1 (a) - Long-stay residents supported in care homes (Quarterly Monitoring Return).

Table 2: Care homes - Number of self-funders within care homes receiving FPNC payments. Not directly collected, but calculated – see above.

Table 3: Care homes - Number of self-funders receiving both FPC and FNC payments. From Table 1 (b) - Number of self-funders receiving FPC and FNC in care homes.

Table 4: Care homes - Number of self-funders receiving FPC payments only. From Table 1 (c) - Number of self-funders receiving FPC only in care homes.

Table 5: Care at Home - Number of Care at Home Clients. From Table 2 (a) - Number of clients receiving care at home.

Table 6: Care at Home - Number of Care at Home clients receiving personal care services. From Table 2 (c) - Number of clients receiving personal care at home.

Table 7: Care at Home - Number of hours of personal care provided at home. From Table 2 (e) - Amount of personal care provided (hours).

Table 8: Expenditure on FPNC payments to self-funders in care homes. Not directly collected, but calculated – see above.

Table 9: Expenditure on FPC payments to self-funders in care homes. Not directly collected, but calculated – see above.

Table 10: Expenditure on FNC payments to self-funders in care homes. Not directly collected, but calculated – see above.

Table 11: Expenditure on personal care services provided to Care at Home clients. From Table 2 (d) - Amount of personal care provided (£ value).

The following variable is also collected in the Quarterly Monitoring Return, but is not published in the FPNC publication: Table 2 (b) - Amount of care at home provided (hours).