Day and respite services survey 2024: results

Returns

These results are presented at a national level and are not broken down by individual partnership areas. This approach helps to avoid creating league tables or encouraging direct comparisons between areas.

Returns were received from 29 Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), 27 provided information on both day and respite services. Data was also received from 4 local authorities (LAs). This should not be interpreted as a lack of engagement from other LAs but may instead reflect internal information management processes.

The data covers a range of service types for both day and respite care, including specialist building-based services, community-based provision, and services delivered within residential settings, such as respite beds in care homes.

Due to changes in the 2024 data collection methodology, these results are not directly comparable with those from 2022 and should instead be seen as a new baseline for future collections.

	Day Service	%	Respite	%
HSCP Returns	27	87	29	94
LA Returns	4		4

Availability of services

The information below provides insight into the total number of reported services, how they are commissioned, and their availability. Availability is indicated not only by operating status and capacity but also by delivery style.

Day Services	328
Respite Services	138
Total Reported Services	466

Commissioned sector 

Sector
Public	217
Private	55
Third	194
Total	466

Operating status

Status	Total	% (of total known)
Open	429	93%
Open with Reduced Capacity	20	4%
Closed	12	3%
Unknown	5
Total	466	100%

Delivery style

Building Based Only	330
Community Only	37
Both	97
Total	464

Service capacity

	Services Counted	Capacity %
Day Services	310	79
Respite	126	53

Note: Services only included where open and maximum capacity data was available

Variation of services for users/client types

The information below highlights the range of services available to individuals with different support needs across age groups, from 0 to 65 and over. Due to inconsistencies in reporting methods and some gaps in the data, totals may differ throughout this section.

Age group	0-18	18-25	26-65	65+	All	Total
Elderly / Frail (not Dementia)	0	2	3	167	5	177
Mental Health	2	7	5	24	3	41
Dementia	1	5	6	142	6	160
Learning Disability	43	76	31	6	67	223
Physical Impairment	3	8	4	4	5	24
Sensory Impairment	10	15	6	7	16	54
Development Disorder	21	22	6	0	9	58
Neurological Disorder	16	23	3	4	11	57
Other	19	4	1	2	5	31
Total	80	162	65	356	127	825

Note: Some services may accommodate for a variety of age groups and client types therefore, it is possible that younger people may be included as receiving services which are normally utilised by older age groups.

Support needs

Services were able to report up to three groups of individuals they support—primary, secondary, and tertiary—based on specific support needs (e.g. dementia, learning disabilities). The figures below represent the total number of services available for each type of support need, including those that support more than one group.

	Total
Elderly / Frail (not Dementia)	178
Dementia	164
Mental Health	42
Learning Disability	228
Physical Impairment	2
Sensory Impairment	56
Development Disorder	59
Neurological Disorder	59
Other	34
Total	822

The data below indicates a breakdown of the reported primary, secondary and tertiary client’s needs. 

Primary Client Type		Secondary Client Type		Tertiary Client Type
Elderly / Frail (not Dementia)	136	Elderly / Frail (not Dementia)	36	Elderly / Frail (not Dementia)	6
Dementia	57	Dementia	91	Dementia	16
Mental Health	3	Mental Health	21	Mental Health	18
Learning Disability	199	Learning Disability	21	Learning Disability	8
Physical Impairment	0	Physical Impairment	0	Physical Impairment	2
Sensory Impairment	6	Sensory Impairment	23	Sensory Impairment	27
Development Disorder	8	Development Disorder	28	Development Disorder	23
Neurological Disorder	6	Neurological Disorder	25	Neurological Disorder	28
Other	21	Other	7	Other	6
Total	436	Total	252	Total	134

 

	Day Service	Respite
Adult	288	110
Child	40	27

 

Transition from Child to Adult Services Supported	Yes	No
Total	176	256
% Split	41%	59%

Key insights from the 2024 data collection (at the time of reporting)

• Wide Variation in Services: There is a broad range of services available across Scotland, with 466 services reported. These include day services, respite provision, building-based, community-based, and mixed models—demonstrating a diverse service landscape.
• Strong Public and Third Sector Involvement: The majority of services are delivered by public (217) and third sector (194) providers, with fewer services commissioned from the private sector (55).
• High Operational Availability: Most services (93%) are operating, though a small proportion (4%) are running at reduced capacity, and a few have closed (3%), indicating relatively strong sector stability despite pressures.
• Community Reach Still Limited: While 330 services are building-based only, fewer (37) operate solely in community settings.
• Service Capacity Constraints: Average reported capacity was 79% for day services and only 53% for respite, indicating potential pressure points in availability, particularly for carers needing breaks.
• Support for Diverse Needs: Services cater to a wide range of support needs, with the most commonly supported groups being those with learning disabilities (228 services), elderly/frail individuals (178), and those with dementia (164).
• Gaps in Age Coverage and Transition Support: While services span all age groups, fewer support children and young people directly. Moreover, only 42% of services reported supporting transitions from child to adult services—highlighting an area for potential improvement.

Day and respite services survey 2024: results

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