Community care services will continue to support people to be independent and able to live at home in the community.
National figures show that Shetland performs well when compared to other Councils. In terms of the percentage of people over 65 with long-term needs who are receiving personal care at home, Shetland (75.8%) is well above the national average of 61.5%. Shetland has increased this figure over the past ten years, from 71.3%.
Services that are provided are also well received, with 87% of adult care services in Shetland graded either good or better, 12% higher than the Scottish average. Our performance in this indicator has reduced since 2020/21, a trend that is shared across Scotland, with the national average decreasing slightly faster than Shetland’s. In addition, 77.9% of adults supported at home agreed that they have had a say in how their help, care or support was provided (Scotland – 70.6%). And, importantly, 93.6% of adults supported at home agreed that their services and support had an impact in improving or maintaining their quality of life (Scottish average – 78.1%).
As was noted in the performance report to Members in the summer of 2023, maintaining these excellent figures relies on housing, adaptations, respite options and carer support as well as adequate staffing across communities to meet the need.