People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services

About this release

This monthly publication by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents the latest statistics on the total number of people waiting for an assessment for social care services, the number of people waiting for a care at home package following an assessment and the weekly number of hours of care they are waiting for.

Main points

• The number of people estimated to be waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care was 7,438 on 4 August 2025. This represents an increase of just over 14% from the estimated number of people waiting this time last year on 5 August 2024.
• The estimated number of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 3,264 on 4 August 2025. This represents an increase of just under 2% from the estimated number of people waiting for a care at home package this time last year on 5 August 2024.
• Of those people in Scotland waiting for care at home following an assessment of their needs, the associated number of weekly hours of care that they were waiting to receive was estimated to be 31,125 in total as at 4 August 2025. This represents a decrease of just under 3% from the estimated number of hours at this time last year on 5 August 2024. Changes in the number of hours will reflect variations in the number of people waiting for a care at home package and the differing levels of care packages required for each person.

This is a line chart with two lines, one showing the trend in the number of people waiting for a care at home package and the second the trend in the number of hours of care at home to be delivered. The chart presents information from 6 January 2025 to 4 August 2025. In relation to the estimated number of people waiting for a care at home package, in the time period presented the number of people has decreased from an estimated 2,957 on 3 February 2025 to an estimated 2,879 on 21 April 2025 between then and 9 June 2025 the figures have fluctuated between an estimated 2,879 and an estimated 2,987 since then the figures have generally increased to an estimated 3,264 on 4 August 2025. In relation to the estimated number of hours of care at home still to be delivered there has been a downward trend, with some fluctuation, from an estimated 29,504 hours on 3 February 2025 to an estimated 27,148 hours on 9 June 2025. Since then, figures have generally increased to an estimated 31,125 on 4 August 2025. Changes in the number of hours will reflect the variation in both the number of people waiting for a care at home package and the differing level of care packages required for each person.

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Number of People assessed and waiting for a care at home package and the number of hours of care required for these care at home packages in Scotland (estimated)

Background

Local Authorities provide social care services to enable people to live independently with control, freedom, choice, and dignity at home or in a homely setting in their community. This includes people who are frail, have long term conditions or disabilities. Packages of care at home ensures support with personal care (for example personal hygiene, continence management, simple treatments) and support with other tasks around the house (for example cleaning or meal preparation). 

Care at Home services are planned and delivered by Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), and are delivered through Local Authority in-house teams, independent providers, and the Third Sector. Each HSCP plans services based on the needs of the local population and existing support services available in the Local Authority, such as housing services. Therefore, the type of services that come under the heading of Care at Home varies across the country.

Data quality

The estimates included in this publication are created from weekly snapshots of the number of people waiting on a social care assessment, waiting on care at home services following assessment, and the number of hours of care at home they are waiting for. Trend information is included from 24 October 2022. These statistics are published as management information as there is public interest in accessing these statistics.

Public Health Scotland has worked in collaboration with the Scottish Government and Local Authorities to clarify the definitions of the items in this data collection and improve the consistency of recording. Definitional changes came into effect from 15 January 2024 and as a result figures presented in trends for some Local Authorities will be inconsistent with information presented prior to this date. For more information on the definition changes please see the definition tab of the dashboard and the metadata document.

A dashboard is provided as part of the release and presents information both at Scotland and Local Authority level. Comparison of figures between Local Authorities should be treated with caution and should be done in conjunction with the data quality notes available within the dashboard.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be 30 September 2025.