Health and social care analysis
Collection of information from our health and social care analytical work in Scotland.
Introduction
We collect, analyse and publish data to inform health and social care policy and service delivery. Our work supports evidence-based decision-making to understand and improve health and social care services and helps track progress on national priorities. Below is a summary of our publications by subject matter. This work cuts across many topics and policy areas.
Population health
Scottish Health Survey
The Scottish Health Survey provides a detailed picture of population health in private households. The survey makes a major contribution to the monitoring of health outcomes.
Mental health
These publications capture the details and experiences of mental health inpatients, as well as wider population mental health:
- annual Mental Health Inpatient Census results; and
- a selection of Mental health social research reports.
Long term conditions and preventative health
These publications together provide a picture of long term conditions and preventative health:
- Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using GP and Hospital Admissions datasets
- Cancer prehabilitation survey: findings report
- Cancer strategy 2023-2033 and cancer action plan 2023-2026: monitoring and evaluation framework - August 2023
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) services in Scotland: health board survey - updated analysis
- Investigating the prevalence of long COVID in Scotland
Primary care
Primary care imptovement plans
The Primary care improvement plans: implementation progress reports summarise the progress on delivering Primary Care Improvement Plans, as agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government, SGPC, Integration Authorities, and NHS Boards.
Public understanding and perceptions survey
The Primary care - public understanding and perceptions survey: analysis report presents findings on how the public views primary care. It looks at how people access care, their trust in different professionals, and any barriers they face.
Scottish social attitudes survey
The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (2021/22) report shares public views on face-to-face and remote GP appointments, including how comfortable and confident people feel using remote care.
Inclusion health action in general practice
The Inclusion health action in general practice: early evaluation report looks at how GP practices used funding from the Inclusion Health programme, its impact, and key lessons learned.
Socioeconomic inequality and barriers to primary care
This Socioeconomic inequality and barriers to primary care in Scotland literature review looks at how socioeconomic factors can make it harder for people to access and experience primary care.
Social care
Adult support and protection
The Adult Support and Protection publications present data collected on activities carried out in relation to adults who may be at risk of harm. They include numbers of referrals received, inquiries carried out, and activity undertaken following inquiries.
Eligibility criteria and waiting times
We collect social care eligibility criteria and waiting times as part of the Quarterly Monitoring Return. Eligibility criteria categories define the severity of need for care, whilst waiting times report on the time frames for assessment and delivery of care.
Local authorities have found it difficult to provide the data requested. As a result, we have paused data collection while we work on finding other ways of getting higher quality data.
- Social Care: Eligibility Criteria And Waiting Times, Scotland 2022-23
- Social Care Eligibility Criteria And Waiting Times, Scotland, 2020-21
Free personal and nursing care
Free Personal and Nursing Care (FPNC) was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2002 to people aged 65 and over. In April 2019, Frank’s law extended the provision of FPNC payments to all adults.
An annual FPNC reports on:
- the numbers of clients receiving FPNC in care homes; and
- the number of clients, hours and cost of care provided at home.
Carers
The Carers Census collects a variety of information on unpaid carers being supported by local authorities and Carer Centers. We collect this information in part to help monitor the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, which came into force on 1 April 2018.
The Scotland's Carers publication brings together statistical analysis from sources such as Scotland's Census and the Scottish Health Survey. It also includes research on caring to give a picture of carers' health, wellbeing, employment and demographic information.
Social care expenditure data
The Local Financial Returns (LFRs) collect final, audited expenditure figures across all services that local authorities provide. We publish data as part of the annual Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics (SLGFS) publication. LFR 03 is the main source of expenditure data on social care, with more detailed client group data collected and published as LFR SC.
Care home data review
The Care Home Data Review page outlines a multi-agency effort to improve care home data. It aims to streamline data collection, reduce the burden on providers, and ensure high-quality data to meet users' needs.
Learning disabilities health checks
The Scottish Annual Health Checks for People 16+ with Learning Disabilities report includes the number of eligible people identified for an annual health check, along with the number of health checks offered and completed. Annual health checks effectively detect undiagnosed medical conditions and improve management of long-term conditions, with clinical evidence supporting their effectiveness in healthcare.
- Scottish Annual Health Checks for People 16+ with Learning Disabilities, 2024/25
- Scottish Annual Health Checks for People 16+ with Learning Disabilities 2023/24
Care experience
Scottish Care Experience Survey Programme
The Scottish Care Experience Survey Programme comprises national surveys measuring health and care service quality from users' perspectives. These surveys enable local providers to benchmark against other Scottish regions and monitor progress in enhancing patient and service user experiences across their healthcare services.
- The Health & Care Experience Survey: covers GP services, mental health, out of hours care, social care and caring responsibilities.
- The Inpatient Experience Survey: covers all aspects of inpatient stays from admission to care at home after discharge.
- The Maternity Care Survey: covers postnatal, antenatal and hospital-based maternity care.
- The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey: covers a range of cancer care including diagnosis, support during treatment and inpatient/outpatient care.
More information – external organisations
Other organisations also publish evidence relating to health and social care in Scotland. These include:
- Public Health Scotland – publishes a range of data relating to health and social care.
- NHS Scotland Workforce Data – intelligence on the healthcare workforce.
- Care Inspectorate – publishes a range of statistics relating to care services.
- Scottish Social Services Council | SSSC – the regulator for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce .
- Improvement Service | Improvement Service – organisation for Local Government improvement.
- National Records of Scotland (NRS) – collects, preserves, and publishes information about Scotland's people and history.
Join our mailing list
To receive notifications about statistical publications or find out about consultations on our statistics please join the ScotStat mailing list.
Contact
If you have any enquiries relating to our statistics contact us at: HSCAnalysisHub@gov.scot