Personal Social Services Expenditure and Unit Costs - England, 2009-10, Final council data

Main Findings - Personal Social Services Expenditure and Unit Cost: England 2009-10:

Overall

• Local Authorities have reported an increase in Adult Social Service Gross Current Expenditure from £16.1 billion in 2008-09 to £16.8 billion in 2009-10, this is approximately 5 per cent in cash terms and 3 per cent real terms. Over a longer term, this represents a real term increase of 10 per cent since 2004-05 and 47 per cent over the 10 years from 1999-00.

By Client Group

• Expenditure on adults aged 18-64 with a Learning Disability has increased from £3.8 billion in 2008-09 to £4.0 billion in 2009-10 (5 per cent in cash terms and 4 per cent in real terms).
• Expenditure on Older People has increased from £9.1 billion in 2008-09 to £9.4 billion in 2009-10 (3 per cent in cash terms and 2 per cent in real terms.

By Service Provision

• Expenditure on Residential Care for older people (aged 65 and over) has increased by 2 per cent in real terms to £3.4 billion in 2009-10. However expenditure on nursing care for older people fell by less than 2 per cent in real terms to £1.4 billion.
• Expenditure on Day/Domiciliary (non-Residential) care spend has increased in cash terms in 2009-10 by 5 per cent in real terms to £6.9 billion. This is in line with Government policy to improve independence, choice and promote people's ability to live at home.
• The expenditure on Direct Payments for adults increased by 31 per cent in real terms to £815 million in 2009-10. The percentage of expenditure used for direct payments for adults continued to increase to 5 per cent of the overall gross current expenditure in 2009-10.

Unit Costs

• The average cost per adult aged 18 and over supported in residential care, nursing care or intensively in their own home was £609 per person per week in 2009-10, an increase from £593 in 2008-09 (3 per cent in cash terms and 1 per cent in real terms).
• The unit cost of providing nursing care to adults with mental health needs has increased by 4 per cent in cash terms and 2 per cent in real terms from £648 per person per week in 2008-09 to £673 in 2009-10.
• The unit cost of providing residential and nursing care to adults with Learning disabilities has increased by 8 per cent in cash terms and 7 per cent in real terms from £1,125 per person per week in 2008-09 to £1,218 in 2009-10.

Grants

• Grants for adults and older people amounted to £290 million in 2009-10 which was an increase of 10 per cent in real terms and 12 per cent in cash terms. Grants as a proportion of "provision by others" remained unchanged at 2 per cent.

The unit cost for meals in table 6.1 of the report was replaced on the 07/03/11 as it had previously been incorrectly rounded to £4.90. The correct figure is £4.80. At the same time the council level unit costs for "Average gross weekly expenditure per person on supporting adults aged 18-64 with a Learning disability in residential care provided by others (including full cost and preserved rights clients)" in the excel annex entitled "Council level detailed unit costs" were corrected for all councils. The England figure in the pdf report in table 6.1 was already correct and has therefore not been changed.