Social care: eligibility criteria and waiting times Scotland 2022-2023

New clients receiving a community care assessment

Nineteen local authorities provided eligibility criteria data on new clients aged 65 and over, recorded as being new to social work services and who received a community care assessment in the quarter, every year from 2014 to 2023.

As shown in Figure 1, the rate for new clients aged 65 and over receiving a community care assessment, remained stable, at around 11 per 1,000 population from 2014 to 2019 before starting to gradually decline to 8.3 per 1,000 population in 2021. This rate has risen slightly in the latest two years to stand at 8.8 per 1,000 population.

From 2019 onwards, the Scottish Government Quarterly Monitoring Return also collected data on younger adults (aged 18 to 64), reflecting the extension of free personal care to all adults.

Twenty local authorities submitted eligibility criteria and assessment data every year (2019 to 2023) for younger adults (aged 18 to 64). The rate per 1,000 population for younger adults was considerably lower than for older people, at less than 1 per 1,000 population. The rate has remained relatively stable over the five year period.

See accompanying dataset for additional data by local authority

Figure 1. Rates of community care assessments for new older clients (65 and over) in local authorities started to decline in 2019 to a low of 8.3 per 1,000 population in 2021 and has increased again in the past two years.

Rate of new clients receiving a community care assessment in the quarter, in local authorities that responded every year from 2014 to 2023, Scotland, January to March 2014 – 2023

Source: Scottish Government Quarterly Monitoring Return

Notes:

1. For clients aged 65 and over, 19 local authorities responded every year between 2014 and 2023, and for clients aged 18 to 64, 20 local authorities responded. Please see data completeness in the accompanying dataset for which local authorities are included.
2. Population rate is based on populations from LAs returning data (NRS mid-year population estimates up to 2021).

The data indicates a decline in community care assessments for new clients from 2019 to 2021. This follows increases in expenditure on adult social care (Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics), by Integration Joint Boards and Local Authorities, and no national tightening of the eligibility criteria for an assessment.

A range of factors may have affected these trends, including: an increasingly ageing population, resources becoming more focused on those in greatest need, geography, poverty, health inequalities and local government decision making.

Some reduction in numbers may also reflect substitution of formal services with asset based approaches (e.g. community alarms, telecare and modifications to a client’s home) and increased use of self-directed support options.

New personal care clients

This data includes clients with a relevant personal care service start date in the reporting period. Personal care services include:

• personal care at home (including intermediate care e.g. rapid response, crisis care but, for the purposes of this measure, excludes telecare, equipment and adaptations and nursing services provided by the NHS),
• personal and nursing care in a care home,
• Direct Payments / Self Directed Support provided for personal care needs.

Unlike the new clients receiving a community care assessment above, these clients don't need to be new to Social Care services and may already have another service, such as telecare or meals service.

As shown in Figure 2, for the 16 local authorities which submitted data each year on older clients (aged 65 and over), the rate increased from 7.0 per 1,000 population in 2014 to a peak of 9.5 in 2019, before falling back to 7.2 in 2022 and rising slightly to 7.5 in 2023.

For the 20 local authorities which submitted data on younger clients each year, the rate per 1,000 population was considerably lower than for older people, at less than 1 per 1,000 population, but remained stable from 2019 to 2023.

See accompanying dataset for additional data by local authority.

Figure 2. The rates of new personal care clients receiving a new service have declined since 2019 for older people, with a slight increase in 2023 (aged 65 and over)

Rate of new personal care clients receiving a new service in the quarter in local authorities that responded every year, Scotland, January to March 2014 – 2023

Source: Scottish Government Quarterly Monitoring Return

Notes:

1. For clients aged 65 and over, 16 local authorities responded every year between 2012 and 2021, and for clients aged 18 to 64, 20 local authorities responded. Please see data completeness in the accompanying dataset for which local authorities are included.
2. Scotland population rate is based on populations from LA's returning data (NRS mid-year population estimates up to 2021).