National Care Service evidence paper: experiences of social care in Scotland - easy read
This easy read summary provides an overview of recent evidence on experiences of social care and unpaid caring in Scotland. It is part of a collection of contextual evidence papers, setting out key sources of information about social care and related areas in Scotland.
Experiences of social care in Scotland
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In the rest of this document, when we say ‘people’ we mean people who answered the questions about social care and being a carer in the 2021/22 Health and Care Experience Survey’.
6 out of every 10 people said their care and support services were either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in 2021/22.
This is less than in 2019/20.
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The number of people who thought their care and support services were ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ went up.
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Less people said they are getting funding for their help and support from the council, NHS and other organisations.
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The number of people getting unpaid care went up.
An unpaid carer is anyone who cares for a friend or family member who cannot cope without their support.
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Less people said they had a choice about sorting out their care.
More people said they did not have a choice at all.
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In 2021/22 people who felt they needed support but did not get it, were more likely to be:
- not white
- disabled
- living in deprived areas
- LGBO (lesbian, gay, bisexual, other)
- unpaid carers
A deprived area is one where people have more difficulties in different parts of their life.
For example many of the people who live there do not have:
- enough money
- choices and chances
- resources – there might not be as many public services
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Unpaid carers
More than half of unpaid carers said they got no support with caring.
More than 1 in 20 people said they give 35 or more hours of care a week in 2021/22.
This is a bit more than in 2019/20.
Unpaid carers giving a lot of care were more likely to have support than those giving smaller amounts of care.
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Unpaid carers were most likely to be supporting:
- parents
- grandparents
- their husband, wife or partner
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Young people aged 17-24 were the group most likely to feel supported to keep caring.
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More than half of young carers said that caring has made their health and wellbeing worse.
Contact
Email: SWstat@gov.scot
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