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Community Care Statistics 2004: Home care services for adults, England

  • Document type:
    Statistical report
  • Author:
    Health and amp; Social Care Information Centre
  • Published date:
    26 May 2005
  • Primary audience:
    Professionals
  • Gateway reference:
    2005
  • Pages:
    61
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown copyright

The Statistical Report and Internet tables present information provided by Councils with Social Services Responsibilities (CSSRs) relating to home care services purchased or provided during a sample week in September 2004. Details were collected on the number of home care contact hours provided by each sector and the number of households receiving services. In addition, information on the total number of hours and total number of visits received from each sector was collected.

Main findings

During the survey week in September 2004

  • An estimated 3.4 million contact hours were provided to around 355,600 households (or 368,400 clients). Compared with 2003 this represents an increase in the number of contact hours of 6% and a fall in the number of households receiving home care of 2%. This suggests that Councils are providing more intensive services for a smaller number of service users, continuing the trend seen over the last 10 years.
  • Around 92,300 households (26% of households) received intensive home care in 2004 (defined as more than 10 contact hours and 6 or more visits during the week). This represents a 6% increase from the 2003 figure of 87,100.
  • Around 46% of households who received home care received more than 5 hours of care and 6 or more visits. In 2003, around 44% of households receiving care had over 5 hours care and 6 or more visits.
  • 16% of households receiving care had only a single visit during the week compared with 18% in 2003. In the vast majority of cases the visit lasted 2 hours or less.
  • 69% of the total contact hours of home care were provided by the independent sector to 235,800 households. This compares with 67% of contact hours and 226,700 households in 2003. This reflects the increase of the commissioning of home care by Councils from the independent sector.
  • Around 14,700 households were receiving home care from both the CSSR directly and the independent sector, a 12% decrease from the 2003 figure of 16,700.

Between September 2000 and September 2004

  • The number of contact hours provided has increased by 21% while the number of households receiving services has decreased by 11%.
  • The proportion of contact hours provided by the independent sector has increased from 56% to 69%.
  • The number of households receiving home care from the independent sector has increased by 24%. In 2004, 235,800 households received care from the independent sector compared to 190,000 in 2000.
  • In 2004, the average number of contact hours per household was 9.5 hours. This is about 1.4 times the average number of contact hours provided in 2000 (7.0 hours). Almost two thirds (63%) of households received 6 or more visits during the week in 2004, compared with 51% in 2000. In 2004 46% of all households had over 5 contact hours of home care and 6 or more visits, an increase from 36% in 2000. The proportion of households receiving home care with only one visit has decreased from 23% in 2000 to 16% in 2004.

Background

The purpose of the Community Care Reforms of 1993 was to enable more people to continue to live in their own homes as independently as possible. New statistical returns, including the HH1 form, were introduced in 1992 to monitor and evaluate these changes. Information is presented here on home help/home care services provided since 1992.

Home care is defined as services that assist the client to function as independently as possible and/or continue to live in their own home. Services may involve routine household tasks within or outside the home, personal care of the client or respite care in support of the client's regular carers. It excludes services such as day care, meals, transport and equipment. Clients receiving home care through direct payments are also excluded from the HH1 return.

For 2004, information was collected on the HH1 form and generally related to the sample week of 13th to 19th September 2004. Some Councils with Social Service Responsibilities (CSSRs) provided information for an alternative week that they considered more representative.

Details were collected on the number of contact hours of home care and the number of households receiving these services. The data are broken down by the sector providing the service. In addition for each sector, a matrix of total contact hours by total number of visits during the week was collected. Information was not collected on the age or client group of people as this is being collected on the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) return.

Index of Tables

1.1 Contact hours provided and households receiving home help and home care, by sector of provider.

1.2 Contact hours, households, clients, intensive home care, and number of households receiving care from more than one sector of provider.

1.3 Percentage of households receiving home help and home care, by total contact hours for each sector of provider.

1.4  Percentage of households receiving home help and home care, by number of visits for each sector of provider.

1.5 Percentage of households receiving home help and home care services, by number of visits and total number of contact hours.

1.6 Contact hours of home help and home care per 10,000 households, by sector of provider 2002-2004.

1.7  Households receiving home help and home care per 10,000 households, by sector of provider 2002-2004.

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