Adult Support and Protection (ASP) National Minimum Dataset, 2024-25

Large Scale Investigations

A Large Scale Investigation (LSI) is conducted when it is suspected that more than one adult in a given service may be at risk of harm. This may relate to adult residents in a care home, supported accommodation, an NHS hospital or other facility, or those who receive services in their own home. The risk of harm may be due to another resident, a member of staff, some failing or deficit in the management regime or in the environment of the establishment or service.

Unlike other indicators reported on in this publication, the definition of an LSI in the Adult Support and Protection National Minimum Dataset (ASP NMDS) is consistent with the definition used in the previous annual ASP data collection. It is therefore possible to compare the number of LSIs commenced in 2024-25 with those undertaken in previous years.

In 2024-25, 49 LSIs were reported to have been undertaken. These occurred in 14 local authorities. The remaining 18 local authorities reported no LSIs being commenced during 2024-25.

The 49 LSIs reported in 2024-25 across Scotland was a decrease from the 76 reported for 2023-24 (figure 15). It is not clear what the reasons behind this change are.

Figure 15: There were 49 LSIs reported in 2024-25, a decrease from the 76 reported in 2023-24.

Annual numbers of LSIs reported in Scotland from 2019-20 to 2024-25.

The numbers of LSIs reported in each year, from 2019-20 to 2024-25, are available in the accompanying data tables.

Location reported for LSIs

2024-25 is believed to be the first year when fewer than half of all the LSIs reported took place in care homes.

In the ASP NMDS, local authorities can report the location of an LSI. In 2024-25, less than half of the LSIs were reported as taking place in care homes: 22 of the total 49 (or 45%) were reported as taking place in a care home (figure 16). In 2023-24, more than half of the LSIs were reported as taking place in care homes (49 of the 76, or 64%). In the years before 2023-24 (i.e. before the introduction of the ASP NMDS), when data on LSIs was gathered by annual returns from the local authorities, local authorities could report on the number of LSIs commenced but not on their location. However, based on conversations with sector experts, it is understood that in the years before 2023-24, care homes were the most common location of LSIs.

The reasons for the change in the most common reported location of LSIs in 2024-25 are not known.

Most of the remaining LSIs in 2024-25 which were not in care homes were reported as taking place in support service settings, such as adult day care, care at home services, sheltered housing or small group living support (which together accounted for another 21 LSIs). There were also six LSIs in 2024-25 that were reported to be focused on other settings, such as community groups, healthcare settings and religious settings (figure 16).

Figure 16. The most commonly reported location for an LSI in 2024-25 was care homes, with 22 out of 49 LSIs reported as taking place in care homes (45%).

Numbers of LSIs reported by location, for the 49 LSIs reported in 2024-25.

Data on the reported location of LSIs in 2023-24 is available in the accompanying data tables.

Data quality notes:

Data from 2019-20 to 2021-22 were first published in the May 2023 ASP publication. The data from 2022-23 and 2023-24 are published for the first time in this publication. The data for 2022-23 was collected using the same format of annual return as the data for 2019-20 to 2021-22. The data for 2023-24 was collected during the first year of implementation (‘Phase 1’) of the ASP NMDS.