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Scottish Parliament election: 7 May. This site won't be routinely updated during the pre-election period.

Social Care Analytical Unit: Areas of Research Interest. 2026-2029

This document sets out the current Areas of Research Interest (ARI) for the Scottish Government’s Social Care Analytical Unit.


References

1 Care Inspectorate (31st October 2025) Datastore (Grading Summary)

2 Audit Scotland (2026) Community health and social care performance

3 Public Health Scotland (2025) People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services 28 October 2025

4 Audit Scotland (2022) Social care briefing

5 Audit Scotland (2026) Delayed discharges: A symptom of the challenges facing health and social care

6 Scottish Social Services Council (2025) Workforce Data Report 2024

7 Audit Scotland (2022) Social care briefing

8 Scottish Fiscal Commission (2025) Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025

9 Popham F. and Boyle, P. (2011) Assessing Socio-Economic Inequalities in Mortality and Other Health Outcomes at the Scottish National Level: Final Report for Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy.

10 Academy of Medical Sciences (2018) Multimorbidity: A Priority for Global Health Research

11 Whitty C J M, MacEwen C, Goddard A, Alderson D, Marshall M, Calderwood C et al. (2020) Rising to the challenge of multimorbidity

12 Scottish Government (2022) National Care Service - health and demographic profile: evidence

13 Fraser of Allander Institute (2022) Demand and expenditure for adult social care in Scotland

14 Scottish Government (2022) National Care Service - health and demographic profile: evidence

15 Audit Scotland (2026) Delayed discharges: A symptom of the challenges facing health and social care

16 Margaret Whoriskey et al. (2025) Digital Innovation in Social Care: Priorities and Opportunities for Scotland - University of Strathclyde

17 Scottish Government (2025) Understanding the Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland

18 Scottish Social Services Council (2025) Workforce Data Report 2024

19 Scottish Social Services Council and Care Inspectorate (2025) Staff vacancies in care services 2023

20 Audit Scotland (2022) Social care briefing

21 Scottish Government (2024) Unmet need - Health and Care Experience (HACE) survey – further analysis of care experience

22 Scottish Government (2024) Financial Information from the Scottish Household Survey 2023

23 National Records Of Scotland (2024) Scotland's Population 2023 - The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

24 National Records Of Scotland (2025) Projected Population of Scotland: 2022-based - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

25 Public Health Scotland (2022) Scottish Burden of Disease Forecasting Briefing

26 Fraser of Allander Institute (2022) Demand and expenditure for adult social care in Scotland

27 Scottish Fiscal Commission (2025) Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025

28 National Records Of Scotland (2024) Scotland's Population 2023 - The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

29 National Records Of Scotland (2020) Household Projections for Scotland, 2018-based - National Records of Scotland (NRS)

30 National Records Of Scotland (2024) Scotland’s Census 2022 - Health, disability and unpaid care | Scotland's Census

31 ScotPHO website Population groups: older people [accessed Dec 2025]

32Scottish Fiscal Commission (2025) Fiscal Sustainability Report – April 2025

33 Scottish Government (2023) Health and Social Care Data Strategy

Contact

Email: ariasc@gov.scot

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