Homecare - FOI Response Register

In accordance with FOISA s 17(1), NHS Shetland confirms that it does not hold the information requested.

You should direct this FOI to Shetland Islands Council at foi@shetland.gov.uk as they deliver social care services here in Shetland.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002: Prices paid for homecare services.

The following request is made to NHS Shetland (“You”, “you”, “Your” and “your”, as the case may be) under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“the Act”) by the Homecare Association.

The Homecare Association is the UK’s membership body for homecare providers, with over 2,300 members nationally that deliver social care to people in their own homes. The Homecare Association’s mission is to work together to ensure that homecare (also known as domiciliary care) is valued, so that all of us can live well at home and flourish within our communities.

The information requested is described in section 1, below, with definitions of specific terms used in section 2, and notes to aid interpretation in section 3. We draw your attention to why we expect your organisation to comply with this request in section 5. In section 6, we explain how we intend to use the information requested as part of a UK-wide report intended for publication.  Section 4 provides details about how to return your reply.

1.  The information requested

We ask you to provide the information described below, including the prices paid to independent and voluntary sector Homecare Providers for the provision of regulated Homecare services delivered to people aged 65 years and over in their own home during the seven-day Reference Period which includes Monday, 17 April 2023.

Your attention is drawn to the definitions and interpretation described in sections 2 and 3.

The information requested is:

(a)  The lowest rate per hour paid to any individual Homecare Provider during the Reference Period, expressed in pounds and pence per hour.

(b)  The highest rate per hour paid to any individual Homecare Provider during the Reference Period, expressed in pounds and pence per hour.

(c)  The average (“arithmetic mean”) price per hour paid to all Homecare Providers for all hours of Homecare services purchased during the Reference Period, expressed in pounds and pence per hour.

(d)  The total hours of Homecare purchased from all Homecare Providers during the Reference Period.

(e)  The total hours of Homecare purchased from all Homecare Providers during a seven-day period which includes Monday, 18 April 2022 (i.e. the figure which provides a like-for-like comparison with item (d), above, for the previous year).

(f)  Your organisation’s total spend on Homecare services purchased from all Homecare Providers during the Reference Period.

(g)  The total number of Care Packages handed back by all Homecare Providers between Friday, 1 April 2022 and Friday, 31 March 2023.

(h)  The total number of Care Packages handed back by all Homecare Providers between Thursday, 1 April 2021 and Thursday, 31 March 2022 (i.e. the figure which provides a like-for-like comparison with item (g), above, for the previous year).

Questions (a)-(h) refer to Homecare services exclusively. The following questions (i) and (j) relate to all social care services, including Homecare services.

(i)  The total number of people aged 65 years and over who were awaiting assessment, review or the start of a care service on Monday, 17 April 2023 (or on a date as close to this as possible).

(j)  The total number of people aged 65 years and over who were awaiting assessment, review or the start of a care service on Monday, 18 April 2022 (or on a date as close to this as possible) (i.e. the figure which provides a like-for-like comparison with item (i), above, for the previous year).

2.  Definitions

Terms defined below in the singular include the plural, unless otherwise stated.

Homecare should be interpreted as referring to social care and support services delivered in people’s own homes. This service may also be known as ‘domiciliary care’ or ‘care at home’.

Homecare Provider refers to an independent or voluntary sector organisation providing Homecare registered by any of the following national statutory regulators:

•           Care Quality Commission (CQC)

•           Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)

•           Care Inspectorate

•           The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

Reference Period means any period of seven consecutive days which includes Monday, 17 April 2023.

In relation to the lowest, highest and average prices paid to Homecare Providers in questions (a) to (c), you should note that our assumption is that your answers will include careworkers’ travel time and mileage costs, unless you advise us to the contrary. You may, at your discretion, provide any qualifying statements or clarification about the figures returned in your reply to these questions.

Care Package refers to the combination of services put together to meet a person's assessed needs after an assessment or review made by a public body.

3.  Selecting the data requested

The following guidance will help you select the correct data sample to complete this request in questions (a) to (h), above.

In case of doubt, you should apply a common-sense interpretation to the request outlined in section 1, above. 

The data sample used to provide this information should include:

•           Homecare delivered by independent and voluntary sector Homecare Providers.

•           Services delivered to adults aged 65 years and over.

•           Services which are primarily designed to provide personal care and support, including prompting people to undertake such activities for themselves.

•           The care element (only) of services delivered in ‘extra care housing’ or ‘supported living’ schemes (i.e. excluding any payment for providing housing or housing services).

You should exclude the following items from the data sample used:

•           Services provided to adults under the age of 65 years.

•           Services which are charged by reference to a unit price, other than a price per hour (or part thereof).

•           Any payments made directly to people in lieu of the provision of services by your organisation (e.g. a direct payment).

•           Services provided by any ‘in-house’ homecare team, where the workforce is employed by your organisation.

•           In Scotland, services regulated by the Care Inspectorate as a “Housing Support” service.