Insights into learning disabilities and complex needs: statistics for Scotland

About this release

This quarterly release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents statistics relating to people with learning disabilities and complex care needs in Scotland.
The purpose of these statistics is to support the work of the Coming Home Implementation report. This report highlighted the need to see change with out-of-area residential placements and inappropriate hospital stays reduced for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs, and people only in hospital for as long as they require assessment and treatment.

One of the key recommendations from the report was to create and maintain the Dynamic Support register (DSR). Launched in May 2023, the register will improve visibility of people with learning disabilities and complex care needs within each Health and Social Care Partnership and allow areas to monitor and progress against out-of-area placements and reduce inappropriate hospital stays.

The DSR has different levels of categories for inclusion: Urgent (person is either; admitted to a hospital-based assessment and treatment unit or living in an inappropriate out-of-area placement), Enhanced Monitoring (person who has left hospital or an Out-of-Area placement within the last six months) and Appropriate Out-of-Area placements (Everyone with a learning disability who is placed appropriately out-of-area both within Scotland and out of Scotland). Definitions of these categories can be found in Appendix 1 of the Insights into Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs: Statistics for Scotland report published in November 2023.

Main points

In respect of adults with learning disabilities and complex care needs in Scotland as at 26 December:

• 1,273 people were registered on local dynamic support registers.
• Of those, 359 were classified as urgent within the following categories:
  • 172 people in hospital, of which 84 were classified as a delayed discharge. This is when a person is clinically ready for discharge from inpatient hospital care but continue to occupy a hospital bed beyond the date they are ready for discharge.
  • 51 people recorded as an inappropriately out-of-area placement. This is a placement which the person and/or family did not choose, and which nevertheless occurred because of a lack of suitable resources and/or accommodation within the person's preferred community setting.
  • 136 people recorded as at risk of support breakdown. This is when a person's current living situation has become unsuitable. For example, the family carer is unable to continue caring, there are concerns about the suitability or stability of a placement or there is an increase in severity and frequency of challenging behaviour.

Background

The Dynamic Support Register (DSR) was launched in May 2023, as one of the key recommendations from the Coming Home Implementation report.

The register is applicable for adults (aged 18 plus) with learning disabilities and complex care needs whose support is funded by a Scottish Local Authority or Health Board. The DSR has different levels of categories for inclusion: Urgent, Enhanced Monitoring and Appropriate Out-of-Area placements. Further information on the Dynamic Support Register is available from the Scottish Government.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be June 2025.