In response to the global financial crisis in 2007/08, the UK implemented an austerity programme in 2010 which may impact upon expenditure on adult learning disabilities health and social care services. Scotland is a geographically diverse country with both densely-populated urban areas and highly-dispersed remote and rural communities. The challenges in the provision of services in such diverse areas may differ and impact upon expenditure.
Expenditure data was extracted from the Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics and Scottish Health Service Costs. Per capita expenditure was calculated using Scotland’s 2011 census data and projections for 2012-2015.
There was a 3.41% real terms decrease in expenditure on adult learning disabilities services from £975,904,242 in 2012/13 to £943,692,001 in 2014/15 (>£32million). In 2014/15, per capita expenditure on adult learning disabilities health care ranged from £1,211-£17,595; social care ranged from £21,147-£83,831; and combined health and social care ranged from £37,703-£85,929. The largest area had a year-on-year reduction, but others did not. Per capita expenditure was greater in rural areas, with more on adult learning disabilities social care than health care.
Scottish expenditure on adult learning disabilities services is flat-lining, despite rising living costs. It varies considerably across Scotland: a post-code lottery of inequality. In 2016, Scotland integrated health and social care services and budgets but the impact of this new arrangement is yet to be seen. However, we now have baseline data on expenditure for Scotland, to support future research on health and social care post-integration outcomes.
Read the full article published by Dr Marion Okon et al in the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities at the link below.
Project information last updated in August 2018.
Deborah is the Director of the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and Professor of Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions, in the School of Health and Wellbeing, at the University of Glasgow. Deborah is passionate about her research which aims to improve the health of people with learning disabilities and their families. She has worked on many different projects about people with learning disabilities including: cancer incidence, cancer screening, multi-morbidity (having two or more health conditions), oral health and COVID-19, to name a few. She has also worked on projects about the physical and mental health of family members who support someone with a learning disability. Deborah is committed to conducting research that has impact and works closely with self-advocates with learning disabilities, family carers and third sector organisations who are pivotal in all of her work and who have a shared vision of ensuring the human rights of all people with learning disabilities are recognised, supported and upheld. Read more about Deborah here.
Angela was formerly the Director for Policy and Impact for the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and remains an affiliate team member, having moved in 2024 to work with the Scottish Government leading the development of annual health checks and learning disabilities data. Angela is interested in how evidence is used in policy making and was involved in many projects at the Observatory. These included: Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on people with learning disabilities The Research Voices Project Helping to set up the SPIRE learning disabilities data project Analysing information about drug prescribing for people with learning disabilities
Anna set up the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory with funding from the Scottish Government. She wants the Observatory to make Scotland fairer and healthier for people with learning disabilities and their families, by: Finding out the health problems people have Finding out how good or bad health care is Telling people about health and health care problems Finding ways to make health and health care better Checking if health gets better or worse over time Helping the Scottish Government, and staff who provide health and social services, to get it right for people with learning disabilities Anna is a doctor. She has done a lot of studies on the health of people with learning disabilities. Anna’s full name is Professor Sally-Ann Cooper.
