Scottish Government

4. Background information on the collection of the data

Local authorities were asked to provide details of all home care services provided by their own staff, and in addition, services bought in from other local authorities, and private / voluntary organisations. Data were collected with respect to the week including 24th March 2010.

A revised home care services statistical data collection was introduced in 2010. The home care information is now being collected on an individual record basis as opposed to aggregate tables via ProcXed.Net. ProcXed.net aims to support and promote the electronic exchange of information in Scotland. It reduces administrative burdens and increases the speed, ease and accuracy (via inbuilt validation checks) of information exchange. It additionally encourages best practice and improves access to benchmarking information. Moreover, the system provides a secure method of sharing data. Further information about ProcXed.Net can be provided on request using the contact details provided on the following page.

The home care statistical collection asked for information to be returned on every person who receives/uses:

• Home care services (provided or purchased by the local authority) during the census week.
• Meals services (provided or purchased by the local authority) during census week.
• A Community Alarm during census week.
• Other Telecare services during census week.

In addition, the following information was optionally asked of local authorities:

• Clients who receive housing support (provided or purchased by the local authority) during census week.
• Clients who receive shopping services (provided or purchased by the local authority) during census week.
• Clients who receive laundry services (provided or purchased by the local authority) during census week.

Local Authority responses to optional items

• 9 Local authorities returned the date of last care plan.
• 31 Local authorities retuned (partial) data on if their clients lived alone. Of these 31 local authorities, 13 provided complete data on whether their clients lived alone.
• 15 Local authorities returned data on clients who received housing support.
• 15 Local authorities returned data on clients who received shopping services.
• 16 Local authorities returned data on clients who received laundry services.
• 3 Local authorities returned data on clients who had an IoRN (Indicator of Relative Need) Score.

For each of the optional items, further analysis will be carried out, and a discussion paper written. These will be published as 'data under development' over the coming months.

In 2010, local authorities identified whether the hours of home care they provided were 'scheduled' or 'actual' hours during the census week. 21 local authorities provided 'scheduled' hours, 5 local authorities provided 'actual' hours, and 6 local authorities provided both 'scheduled' and 'actual' hours.

Client groupings

Definitions have been kept consistent to maintain trends over time except for client groups. Client groups and definitions were revised in 2010, and multiple client groups were allowed for the first time. Client group analysis over time should therefore be treated with caution. Full definitions can be found in the 'Home care services guidance notes' which can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/HomeCareCensus.

In this publication, where a local authority returned multiple client groups, in order to avoid double counting clients have been allocated to one client group. This has been based on the following order:

1. Dementia
2. Mental Health Problems
3. Learning Disability
4. Physical Disability
5. Addiction
6. Palliative Care
7. Carer's
8. Older people who do not fall into categories 1-7
9. Other vulnerable groups
10. Not known

For example, if a client has dementia and is an older person, then in table 2 they will appear in the dementia client group for the purpose of analysis.

Community Alarm and other Telecare

Telecare is the remote or enhanced delivery of health and social care services to people in their own home by means of telecommunications and computerised systems. Telecare usually refers to equipment and detectors that provide continuous, automatic and remote monitoring of care needs, emergencies and lifestyle changes, using information and communication technology ( ICT) to trigger human responses, or shut down equipment to prevent hazards (Source: National Telecare Development Programme, Scottish Government).

Community Alarms are considered to be a basic introductory form of Telecare. A 'basic package' of pull cord, button, and/or pendant enables the user to create an alarm at the call or monitoring centre. Latterly, additional peripherals such as heat detectors have been included in the 'basic package'.

Some further examples of Telecare include (list not exhaustive):

Key safe
Pill Dispenser
Property exit sensor
Falls detector
Flood detector
Epilepsy alert
Movement detectors

Further work be carried out over the next few months validating the data on all clients who receive a Community Alarm and/or other Telecare services.

Data completeness

A return was received from each local authority in Scotland.

Scottish Borders were unable to provide data on meals, although they do offer a meals service.

Dumfries & Galloway have introduced a new social work business system which has improved the accuracy of the data. Analysing trends over time for Dumfries & Galloway should be treated with caution as data has been collected differently for previous years.

Fife has improved the accuracy of the data in 2010. in previous years there may be some double counting which contributes to the decline in clients between 2009 and 2010. in addition, clients who actually received a service during the census week were included as opposed to clients who had a planned service during the census week which was reported on previously.

Totals may not add up to the sum of components due to rounding.

More detailed tables on home care services are available from our website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/Data/HomeCare.

Other data sources

In order to calculate rates per population, the General Register Office for Scotland's ( GROS) mid year population estimates have been used. For 2010 rates, the 2009 mid year population estimates have been used (the latest available).
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/population/index.html

Further information

Further details and analysis of the data presented in this Statistics Release are available on request from the address given below. The Statistics Release is available on the Internet by accessing the Scottish Government web site: - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/Publications

Information at local authority level is shown in the annex to this Statistics Release.

Contact details

Community Care Statistics

Contact: Steven Gillespie

Tel: 0131 244 3777
E-mail: SWStat@scotland.gov.uk

This statistics release was published on 30 ^th November 2010.