Social Care Services, Scotland, 2017

Introduction

This Statistics Release presents the latest national figures for Social Care services provided or purchased by Local Authorities in Scotland. These services give people the support, practical help and personal care that they need to live as independently as possible within their community.

All 2017 figures presented in this publication are provisional. This is because Angus council was unable to submit their data in time for publication and so the 2016 Angus council figures have been used to create the total Scotland figures.

The introduction of Self-Directed Support ( SDS) means that everyone eligible for social care and support has the right to make informed choices on what their support looks like and how it is delivered, making it possible to meet agreed personal outcomes. This has resulted in changes to the way that Social Care information is recorded across Scotland. However, it should be noted that some clients such as those receiving reablement or crisis care support may not be able to make choices regarding their services or support. This report presents information on:

• Home Care
• Community Alarm / Telecare and
• Direct Payments (now SDS "Option 1")

A separate report on Self-directed Support was published in July 2017, which can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/07/1120. This will be updated in 2018.

Figure 1: Home Care clients, 2001 to 2017¹

1. 2017 Scotland figures are provisional as Angus council figures relate to 2016.
Source: Scottish Government Social Care Survey 2013-2017, Home Care Census 2001-2012

Figure 2: Clients receiving Direct Payments, 2001 to 2017¹

1. 2017 Scotland figures are provisional as Angus council figures relate to 2016.
Source: Scottish Government Social Care Survey 2013-2017, Self-Directed Support Survey 2001-2012

There are three sections to the report:
1. A summary of clients of all ages receiving Social Care services in Scotland
2. Service-level information on older people, aged 65+, receiving Social Care services
3. Service-level information on working age adults, aged 18 to 64.

Key points

All of the figures presented have been rounded to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000.

• The number of people purchasing services through Self-Directed Support (all options) has increased by 57% to 83,770 over the last financial year.
• There were 59,640 people in Scotland receiving Home Care services in March 2017, a slight decrease compared to the previous year. These people received 696,600 hours of Home Care during the census week, a 3% increase from March 2016.
• In the financial year 2016-17, 128,750 people received Community Alarms and/or Telecare services; an increase of 2% compared with 2015-16.
• Councils are increasingly purchasing services from the private and voluntary sector rather than providing it themselves. In 2017, under half (47%) of Home Care clients received a service solely from their Local Authority, compared to nearly three-quarters (71%) in 2008.
• The number of people choosing a Direct Payment to purchase the services they require continues to increase, with 8,290 clients and an estimated £113.3 million spent during the 2016-17 financial year.

Figure 3 shows the trend in Home Care clients and hours provided in the last 10 years. The number of Home Care clients has decreased slightly over the last three years. However, the number of Home Care hours (excluding 24/7 care) has increased in the last year, following a decrease between 2015 and 2016.

Figure 3: Home Care (a) clients and (b) hours provided during the census week, 2008- 2017

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. 2017 Scotland figures are provisional as Angus council figures relate to 2016.
Source: Scottish Government Social Care Survey 2013-2017, Scottish Government Home Care Census 2006-2012

The number of people in receipt of Direct Payments has continued the same trend as previous years, increasing from an estimated 7,530 in 2015-16 to 8,290 in 2016-17 (Figure 4). Expenditure on Direct Payments has also increased, from an estimated £94.5 million in 2015-16 to an estimated £113.3 million in 2016-17.

Figure 4: Direct Payments ( SDS option 1), clients and expenditure, financial year 2007-08 to 2016-17¹

¹ Direct Payments totals include an estimate for East Renfrewshire council in 2014/15 and Angus council in 2016/17, and an estimate for Angus council in 2015/16 for Value of Payments only - see 5.5 (background notes).
Source: Scottish Government Social Care Survey 2013-2017, Scottish Government Self-Directed Support/Direct Payments Survey 2006-2012