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Who lives in Scotland's care homes? Descriptive analysis using routinely collected social care data 2012-16
Jennifer K Burton1, Ellen Lynch2, Sharon Love3
1Academic Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, New Lister Building, Glasgow G31 2ER, UK, Jenni.Burton@glasgow.ac.uk.
Background:
Adults living in long-term care are a significant and complex population who are under-represented in research using traditional methodologies.
Methods:
The aim of this study was to provide the first description of the adult care home population and their homes, using routinely collected data. A retrospective descriptive analysis was performed using the Scottish Care Home Census (SCHC) between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2016.
Results:
Data are from 1,299 care home services (79.3-89.7% completeness), including 34,399-39,311 residents per year across all regions of Scotland. A total of 68% of residents are female, with median age 84 years. 27% fund their own care. Over 85% of self-funded residents receive free personal care allowance. Around 60% require care from a registered nurse and 49% have a formal diagnosis of dementia. The majority of admissions come from hospital (46%). Between 13 and 17% of residents die annually, with a median time to death of 596-653 days.
Conclusions:
This study provides the most comprehensive descriptive data of UK care home residents available. There is scope to enhance the information available through linkage to other routine sources.