Scottish Care Homes Census
The Scottish Care Home Census data are collected on an annual basis via an electronic system called eForms which is maintained by the Care Inspectorate.
Dear Care Home Manager,
This letter informs you of the arrangements for the 2025 Scottish Care Home Census.
Background
The Scottish Care Home Census has been running since 2003, and continues to provide a rich and important source of information on care home provision in Scotland used by policy makers and care home providers. The latest care home census publication (Nov 2023) can be found on the Public Health Scotland (PHS) website.
2025 Care Home Census
The Care Home Census is a long running annual statistical collection which provides key financial information and resident level data for all funding types which is not available from other sources. This financial information and analysis informs a range of important considerations, including on capital limits for residential care, free personal and nursing care allowances and enables an understanding of the costs and benefits of associated policy development. Resident level data is important in helping us understand more about the population living in care homes, and remains valuable to inform continued planning for the National Care Service.
Given the importance of this data, the 2025 Care Home Census will open on 14 April 2025 and close 7 weeks later at midnight on 1 June 2025. This data will cover the year April 2024 to March 2025 (2024/25) only.
The census form can be completed through the Care Inspectorate eForms system. You can log in to the eForms system on the Care Inspectorate website from 14 April 2025.
Changes to resident information
There are no changes to the information required since the previous census.
Help and guidance
Guidance on completing the form accompanies this letter on our website.
If the guidance doesn’t answer your questions then you can contact the Care Inspectorate Contact Centre helpline on: 0345 600 9527.
Future of the Care Home Census
A Care Home Data Working Group was established in Autumn of last year to take forward the implementation of the recommendations set out in the multi-agency Care Home Data Review. The full report from the review was published in December 2024, and is available on the Care Home Data Review section of our website. The Working Group has now agreed the top priority recommendations, which mainly relate to the rationalisation of data collections, and will work over the coming year to take these forward. The future of the Scottish Care Home Census, along with the other national care home data sources will be determined by the Working Group.
Thank you for your continued support, and for completing the Care Home Census return for 2024/25.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Grant
Head of Social Care Analysis Unit
Scottish Government
Contact
If the guidance doesn’t answer your questions then you can contact the Care Inspectorate Contact Centre helpline on: 0345 600 9527.