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Social Justice
a Scotland where everyone matters
Indicators of Progress 2003

Milestone 17: Increasing the proportion of people with learning disabilities able to live at home or in a 'homely' environment

Indicators

There are a number of indicators which measure balance of care for people with learning disabilities. The information is taken from a range of surveys carried out by the Scottish Executive and the Information Services Division of the National Health Service. In all cases the figures represent Scotland.

Balance of care

Chart 17a illustrates the balance of care provided for people with learning disabilities over the period 1980 to 2003.

The number of occupied beds in hospitals for people with learning disabilities has fallen substantially since 1998. The current level is well under half the 1998 level.

Since 1998 there has been an increase in the number of people with learning disabilities receiving home care.

Over the same period, there has been little change in the number of places in day centres for people with learning disabilities.

Since 1998, there has been a fall in the number of people with learning disabilities living in residential care homes, while the number of people with learning disabilities living in nursing homes has increased.

Chart 17a: The Balance of Care, 1980 - 2003

Source: Information and Services Division : National Health Service for Scotland
Community Care Statistics: Scottish Executive Health Department

Direct Payments

Direct payments have been available to disabled people assessed as needing community care services since April 1997. Direct payments enable people to purchase care services for themselves with the aim of increasing independence and aiding social inclusion.

A new survey carried out at the end of March 2001 collected information on direct payments in Scotland. This showed that for 2001, 32 people with learning disabilities received direct payments totalling over 140,000. This increased to 56 people (463,000) in 2002 and again to 91 people (903,000) in 2003.

Background data

The following background data corresponds to the charts and commentary included in this milestone.

Table 17b: The Balance of Care, 1980 - 2003

Availability of data and references

Data is available from 1980 and is available at Scotland and local authority level. There is snapshot analysis by age and gender for residential care homes and day care centres

In 2003, a new survey of Care Homes took place, replacing the Residential Care Homes Census and the Nursing Homes Census which are detailed here.

Also from 2003, more individual level data and postcode data has been collected for the care homes, home care and day care census. This will allow these statistics to be produced for geographies other than Local Authority level and these will be published on the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics site sometime in 2004.

The nursing homes figures have been revised this year. Quality assurance work has been undertaken, and additionally, for each home which did not supply data, figures have been imputed from data for those years which were available. Previously homes which did not supply data were omitted from the survey results.

A new survey of Local Authorities, monitoring the progress of the recommendations in 'The Same as You' is being carried out this year and should be published early in 2004. In recent years, more people with learning disabilities have been living in tenancies, often in small group accommodation for up to 4 or 5 people. Information about this should appear for the first time in the new survey.

A new data collection will start from April 2004 collecting information on people with learning disabilities covered by the new 'Supporting People' arrangements. Many Care Homes for people with learning disabilities deregistered during 2002/03 and are re-registering with the Care Commission as Housing support services.

Community Care Statistics
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/HD/ASD/00017672/page1316509594.aspx

The Same as You
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/HD/CCD/00015633/SAYIG.aspx

Supporting People
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/housing/supportingpeople/default.asp

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