Social Care Services, Scotland, 2014

Key findings

• Just under 150,000 people in Scotland received Social Care services in 2014. Around 80% of these clients were aged 65 and over.
• In March 2014, over 111,000 people received Community Alarms and / or Telecare.
• In March 2014, 61,740 Home Care clients received Home Care, a similar figure to last year. Nearly 680,000 hours of Home Care were recorded over the census week, a figure which has increased each year since 2011.
• Councils are increasingly purchasing services from the private and voluntary sector rather than providing them themselves. In 2014, 51% of Home Care clients received a service solely from their Local Authority, compared to 73% in 2007. In 2014, 36% of Home Care hours were provided solely by Local Authorities, compared to 53% in 2007.
• Direct Payment provision continues to increase, with 6,010 clients and £76.1 million spent during the 2013-14 financial year.

Figure 1 shows the trend in Home Care clients and hours provided in the last 10 years. The number of Home Care clients has increased slightly between 2013 and 2014, following decreases from 2005 to 2013. The number of Home Care hours (excluding 24/7 care) provided has increased every year since 2011.

Figure 1: Home Care Clients and Hours provided 2005- 2014

Source: Social Care Survey 2013 and 2014, Home Care Census (pre 2013)
Note: 24/7 care has been excluded under the Home Care definition used since 2013. Two lines are provided in this chart for Home Care hours to provide comparability.

Figure 2 shows that the number of people in receipt of Direct Payments has continued the same trend as previous years, increasing from 5,400 in 2012-13 to 6,010 in 2013-14. Expenditure on Direct Payments has also increased, from £66.0 million in 2012-13 to £76.1 million in 2013-14.

Figure 2: Direct Payments clients and expenditure, financial year 2004-05 to 2013-14

Source: Social Care Survey 2013 and 2014, Self-directed Support (Direct Payments) Survey (pre 2013)