Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2023-24

Care home residents

• In 2023-24 there were 28,210 long-stay residents aged 65 and over in care homes in Scotland with local authority support. This number is similar to the number estimated in 2022-23 (28,080).
• Among those residents aged 65 and over, 39% were self-funders receiving Free Personal Care (FPC) and/or Free Nursing Care (FNC) (together, FPNC). This is one percentage point higher than was estimated in 2022-23 (38%), and an increase from 34% in 2014-15.
• The majority (68%) of those aged 65 and over receiving FPNC in 2023-24 received both FPC and FNC. This is the same proportion as estimated in 2022-23, but an increase from 63% in 2014-15. The other 32% in 2023-24 received FPC only.
• In 2023-24 there were also 3,430 long-stay residents aged 18 to 64, in care homes in Scotland with local authority support. This is 3% higher than the number estimated in 2022-23 (3,340).
• Fewer care home residents aged 18 to 64 in 2023-24 received FPNC payments. In 2023-24, 4% (150) were self-funders receiving FPNC. This is the same proportion as estimated in 2022-23 (4%, or an estimated 130 residents).
• The majority of residents aged 18-64 (64%, or 90 residents) who were in receipt of FPNC in 2023-24 received both payments. The other 36% (50 residents) received FPC only.

Expenditure on FPNC in care homes

• In 2023-24, an estimated £174 million was spent by local authorities on FPNC payments to self-funding care home residents aged 65 and over. This is a 10% increase from the estimated £157 million spent in the previous year. Of this, 77% was spent on FPC and 23% on FNC in 2023-24.
• In 2023-24, an estimated £2.21 million was spent by local authorities on FPNC payments to self-funding care home residents aged 18 to 64. This is a 15% increase from the estimated £1.92 million spent the previous year. Of this, 78% was spent on FPC and 22% on FNC.

Care at Home clients

• In 2023-24, an estimated 48,820 people aged 65 and over received Care at Home services. This is 3% higher than the estimated 47,430 in 2022-23, but similar to the 48,800 in 2017-18 (the earliest year with which comparisons can be made).
• Of those Care at Home clients aged 65 and over, 97% (an estimated 47,130) received personal care services as part of their Care at Home package in 2023-24. This is a 4% increase from the estimated 45,330 in 2022-23. The proportion of Care at Home clients aged 65 and over who are estimated to have received personal care services has remained fairly constant since 2017-18, ranging from 94% to 97%.
• The number of people aged 18 to 64 who received Care at Home in 2023-24 was an estimated 16,960. This is a 2% increase from 2022-23 (an estimated 16,690). This number has risen by 15% from an estimated 14,750 in 2018-19, an average increase of around 3% per year over the last five years. Following 2018-19, Frank’s Law extended Free Personal Care to all adults assessed as needing personal care.
• Of those Care at Home clients aged 18 to 64, 77% (an estimated 13,110) received personal care services as part of their Care at Home package in 2023-24. This is a one percentage point increase from 2022-23 (an estimated 76%).
• Since 2019-20, around three quarters (between 75% and 77%) of Care at Home clients aged 18 to 64 are estimated to have received personal care. This compares to an estimated 72% in 2018-19 – the last year before Frank’s Law extended Free Personal Care.
• Please note: some local authorities do not distinguish between Care at Home and personal care at home in the data they submit, classing all Care at Home as personal care. This may have artificially inflated the total numbers of clients receiving personal care, and the percentage of Care at Home classed as personal care, reported in this publication.

Hours of personal care provided to Care at Home clients

• In 2023-24, an average of 9.8 hours of free personal care per week were estimated to have been provided to Care at Home clients aged 65 and over receiving personal care services. This is very similar to the estimated average of 9.9 hours of care per week provided per client aged 65 and over, in 2022-23. Please note: these estimates do not include data from Glasgow City, who were unable to provide data in either year.
• An average of 20.4 hours of personal care per week were estimated to have been provided to 18 to 64 year old Care at Home clients receiving personal care services, in 2023-24. This is the same as was estimated in 2022-23. Please note: these estimates do not include data from Glasgow City or Scottish Borders, who were unable to provide data in either year.
• Care at Home clients aged 18 to 64 were therefore estimated to have received approximately twice as many hours per week of free personal care than Care at Home clients aged 65 or over, in 2023-24. However, please note that the calculation for number of hours of care per client have been calculated from two slightly different sets of local authorities for the two age groups.

Expenditure on Free Personal Care at home

• An estimated £473 million was spent by local authorities on personal care services for Care at Home clients aged 65 and over in 2023-24. This is a 7% increase from the estimated £444 million spent the previous year.
• Per client, the estimated average annual expenditure on free personal care for Care at Home clients aged 65 and over receiving personal care was around £11,100 in 2023-24. This is a 2% increase from the estimated average annual spend of around £10,900 per client in 2022-23.
• An estimated £266 million was spent by local authorities on free personal care services for Care at Home clients aged 18 to 64 in 2023-24. This is a 3% increase from the estimated £258 million spent the previous year.
• Per client, the estimated average annual expenditure on free personal care services for Care at Home clients aged 18 to 64 receiving personal care was around £22,500 in 2023-24. This was the same as in 2022-23.
• Please note: three local authorities (Fife, Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire) were unable to provide data on expenditure on personal care for Care at Home clients in 2022-23 and 2023-24, for either age group. Therefore, the Scotland totals reported for those years will be underestimates of the true total expenditure. Together, these three local authorities contain approximately 11% of the total population of Scotland, according to the National Records of Scotland mid-2023 population estimates. These three local authorities have been excluded from the calculations of average expenditure per client in 2022-23 and 2023-24.