Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2021-22

Main points: 2021-22

Care Home Clients

• in 2021-22, there were 27,640 long-stay care home residents aged 65 and over, and 3,330 long-stay care home residents aged 18 to 64 in Scotland. Compared to 2020-21, this represents a 2% decrease in the number of residents aged 65 and over, and a decrease of 1% for residents aged 18 to 64
• in 2021-22, 38% of care home residents aged 65 and over (10,550 residents), and 4% of those aged 18 to 64 (140), were self-funding residents who received any Free Personal and Nursing Care (FPNC) payments. This is a slightly higher number than in 2020-21 for those aged 65 and over (10,510, 37% of residents) and for those aged 18 to 64 (120, 4%)
• there were 7,140 self-funding care home residents aged 65 and over (68% of residents aged 65 and over receiving FPNC payments), and 90 aged 18 to 64 (62% of residents aged 18 to 64 receiving FPNC payments) who received both FPC and FNC payments in 2021-22
• there were 3,410 self-funding care home residents aged 65 and over (32% of residents aged 65 and over receiving FPNC payments), and 50 aged 18 to 64 (38% of residents aged 18 to 64 receiving FPNC payments) who received FPC payments only in 2021-22

Care at Home Clients

• in 2021-22, 46,190 people aged 65 and over, and 16,200 aged 18 to 64, received care at home. Of these, 43,810 people aged 65 and over (95% of all care at home clients), and 11,970 aged 18 to 64 (74%), received FPC services at home
• compared to 2020-21, the number of people aged 65 and over receiving personal care at home decreased by 7%, and the number of people aged 18 to 64 receiving personal care at home decreased by 1%
• in the 31 Local Authorities who were able to submit data for this section for people aged 65 and over, an average of 9.6 hours per week of FPC at home was provided to people aged 65 and over in 2021-22. In the 30 Local Authorities able to submit this data for this section for 18 to 64 year olds, an average of 19.8 hours per week of FPC at home was provided to those aged 18 to 64
• for the same Local Authorities, compared to 2020-21, the weekly number of hours of FPC at home provided per person aged 65 and over has decreased by 1%, and the weekly number of hours provided per person aged 18 to 64 has increased by 7%

Expenditure on FPNC payments for self-funding care home residents

• Local Authorities spent an estimated £139 million on payments to self-funding care home residents aged 65 and over in 2021-22. £107 million of this (77%) was for FPC payments and £32 million (23%) was for FNC payments
• Local Authorities spent an estimated £1.7 million on payments to self-funding care home residents aged 18 to 64 in 2021-22. £1.3 million of this (79%) was for FPC payments and £350,000 (21%) was for FNC payments

Care at Home Expenditure

• in 2021-22, the 29 Local Authorities able to submit data for this section spent a total of £417 million on providing and purchasing FPC to people aged 65 and over living at home
• the same 29 Local Authorities spent a total of £237 million on providing FPC to people aged 18 to 64 living at home in 2021-22