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Scotland's Chief Statistician today published ‘Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland 2012-13’. This statistics release presents information on the number of people benefiting from free personal care and free nursing care in Scotland and how much Local Authorities spend on personal care services.

Some of the notable statistics included in the report are:

Care Homes

The amount of money spent by Local Authorities on Free Personal care and Free Nursing Care (FPNC) payments to self-funding residents in Care Homes has increased each year from £86 million in 2003-04 to £116 million in 2012-13. This 35% increase reflects the increasing number of self-funders and the annual increases in the FPNC payments from April 2008.

Home Care

The amount of money spent by Local Authorities on providing personal care services to older people in their own homes has risen steadily each year from £133 million in 2003-04 to £349 million in 2012-13. Since 2010-11, we have seen expenditure levelling off at just under £350 million.

This more than doubling of spend over the last eight years reflects the fact that:
• an increasing proportion of older people are being cared for at home, rather than in hospital or care homes; 
• increasingly home care workers are providing personal care services rather than domestic services; 
• people living at home have increasing levels of need, reflecting the fact that people with high care needs are being supported to remain at home for longer.

Link to publication page – http://scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent

1. This is the latest in a series of publications.

2. Further information on Health and Community Care statistics within Scotland can be accessed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/statistics/browse/Health

3. Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About