Free personal and nursing care, Scotland, 2012-13
Information on the number of clients receiving free personal and nursing care services in Scotland, with expenditure figures.
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3. People receiving Free Personal Care and Free Nursing Care
This section presents the latest available data on the number of people receiving free personal care and nursing care in a care home and people receiving free personal care at home.
3.1 Care Homes
Since 2002, information has been collected on the number of residents aged 65+ supported by local authorities in care homes. These residents may be mainly funded by their local authority or may be a self-funder receiving the appropriate weekly payment towards their care homes fees. All of these residents receive personal care services for free.
Figure 3: Care Home residents (thousands)
Table 1 and Figure 3 show that the average number of long-stay residents aged 65+ in care homes in Scotland has reduced slightly since the introduction of free personal and nursing care. In 2003-04 there were 32,070 older people in care homes reducing to 30,120 in 2012-13.
In contrast, the number of self-funding Care Home residents who receive the FPC payment increased each year between 2003-04 (8,350) and 2008-09 (9,570). Since then the number has remained relatively stable, with 9,480 self-funders receiving the FPC payment in 2012-13.
The trend is the same for the proportion of long-stay residents who are self-funders. The proportion increased from 26% in 2003-04 to 31.5% in 2012/13.
Around two-thirds of self-funding Care Home residents receive the FNC payment in addition to the FPC payment[1]. The number of self-funders receiving free nursing care has increased from an average of 5,270 in 2003-04 to 6,180 in 2008-09. Again, this figure has remained around the same level since 2008-09 (6,120 in 2012-13).
Table 1: Care Home residents, 2003-04 to 2012-13
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of long-stay residents (aged 65+) | 32,070 | 32,080 | 32,020 | 31,680 | 31,730 | 31,530 | 31,470 | 31,020 | 30,750 | 30,120 |
| No. of self-funders (aged 65+) receiving FPC | 8,350 | 8,900 | 9,180 | 9,370 | 9,510 | 9,570 | 9,320 | 9,480 | 9,660 | 9,480 |
| No. of self-funders (all ages) receiving FNC | 5,270 | 5,690 | 5,890 | 6,060 | 6,130 | 6,180 | 5,960 | 6,000 | 6,040 | 6,120 |
| Self-funders (aged 65+) receiving FPC as % of all long-stay residents | 26.0% | 27.7% | 28.7% | 29.6% | 30.0% | 30.4% | 29.6% | 30.6% | 31.4% | 31.5% |
| % self-funders (aged 65+) receiving FPC also receiving FNC | 63.1% | 63.9% | 64.2% | 64.7% | 64.5% | 64.6% | 63.9% | 63.3% | 62.5% | 64.6% |
Source: Community Care Quarterly Key Monitoring return.
All figures are yearly averages rounded to the nearest 10.
3.2 Home Care
Prior to 1 July 2002, people aged 65 and over could be charged for personal care services provided in their own home. Personal Care services are now free; however, they can still be charged for domestic services such as help with shopping or housework, but any charge would be subject to a financial assessment.
Table 2: Home Care clients, 2003-04 to 2012-13
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Care clients (aged 65+) | 57,760 | 57,880 | 57,190 | 56,700 | 55,340 | 54,720 | 53,660 | 51,730 | 51,120 | 50,350 |
| Home Care clients (aged 65+) receiving Personal Care | 32,870 | 36,300 | 40,750 | 40,410 | 42,260 | 44,200 | 46,660 | 46,950 | 47,010 | 47,150 |
| Average weekly hours of Personal Care at home in Scotland | 226,000 | 242,900 | 259,600 | 272,900 | 299,400 | 333,100 | 361,700 | 371,900 | 389,000 | 401,700 |
| % of Home Care clients aged 65+ receiving Personal Care | 56.9% | 62.7% | 71.3% | 71.3% | 76.4% | 80.8% | 87.0% | 90.8% | 92.0% | 93.6% |
| Average weekly hours of personal care at home per person | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.4 |
Source: Community Care Quarterly Key Monitoring Return 2003-04-2008-09, Home Care Census 2009-10 to 2011-12, Social Care Survey 2012-13.
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
Average weekly hours (based on last week of each quarter) are rounded to the nearest 100.
Figure 4: Home Care clients, 2003-04 to 2012-13
Since the introduction of free personal care, the number of older people receiving Home Care services in Scotland decreased from 57,760 in 2003-04 to 50,350 in 2012-13. In contrast Table 2 / Figure 4 shows for the same period the number of Home Care clients receiving personal care services has increased each year from 32,870 clients in 2003-04 to 47,150 in 2012-13, an increase of around 43%.
The number of hours of personal care provided in Scotland has increased substantially from a weekly average of 226,000 hours in 2003-04 to 401,700 in 2012-13, a 78% increase. The average hours provided per client each week has increased from 6.9 hours in 2003-04 to 8.4 hours in 2012-13.
Figure 5: Change in proportion of all Home Care clients aged 65+ receiving personal care, 2003-04 to 2012-13
Over the last eight years there has been a shift away from care homes towards more care being provided in peoples' own homes. At the same time there has been an increase in the proportion of clients receiving personal care services. In 2003-04, 57% of all home care clients received personal care services. This has increased to 94% in 2012-13. This increase is linked to the following National indicators:
- Improve support for people with care needs
- Increase the percentage of people aged 65 and over with high levels of care needs who are cared for at home.
Home Care statistics are now published as part of the Social Care Survey. The latest figures, for 2012-13, are available from: http://scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/8713
Contact
Email: Steven Gillespie
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