1. Trends in Social Care Service Delivery
Services funded by Social Services following assessment include ‘one off’ short term and long
term services from the provision of an equipment aid to daily living, professional support and
short term homecare through to longer term rehabilitation provided at home, a long term
homecare package and residential or nursing placements either on a long term or respite basis.
The length of time someone needs a funded social care service varies from days to years.
The table below shows all provisions being provided in each year for each care group within the
categories of community provisions (services to people living in their own homes, and carers
support) and residential and nursing care provisions. Community provisions include Direct
Payments allocated to service users to purchase and arrange their own care. The community
provisions include supported living which has increased steadily as an alternative to care
homes and is predicated on the availability of suitable accommodation for adults with
disabilities.
Table 4 shows the total number of service provisions funded in each year over the last 4 years
by Barnet Adult Social Services and indicate the changes across the categories as well as the
changes in overall volume.
Table 4 2007/8 2006/7 2005/6 2004/5
Total Total Total Total
Physical & 831 765 51 22 801 743 35 19 704 655 29 14 542 507 42 13
sensory
impairment
Learning 687 428 277 6 716 418 327 1 700 427 307 2 588 497 298 1
Disabilities
Mental 998 910 84 4 1103 1002 114 2 1053 929 137 4 596 490 132 4
health
Older 4805 3757 859 361 4969 4969 3813 969 5187 3933 1072 421 5021 3810 1110 429
Adults
Community provisions Residential placements Nursing placements
Volumes of service provision are only one indicator of level of needs and of the costs of
meeting that need. There has been a general rise in the complexity of need for individuals who
are referred to social services and living at home. This is due in part to people with long term
conditions living longer and general increases in life expectancy. This has a knock on effect to
the care homes who are now meeting much higher levels of need.
In line with the national picture there has been a significant fall of permanent residents in care
homes supported by the council and an increase in community provisions. The drop overall in
older people using services in 2007/8 is in line with a national reduction in the numbers of older
people using services reported for March 2003 to March 2006 by CSCI as a result of
increasingly tight application of eligibility criteria (ref. The state of social care in England 2006/7,
September 2008) at a time when the over 75 population has increased by 3%.
The pattern and delivery of community provisions has changed significantly in Barnet and
reflects an increase in professional support, Direct Payments, community equipment and
breaks for carers. More data is required about patterns and use of services including changes

2. in the lengths of stay in care homes and particularly about the impact of changes in health
provisions and the impact on demand for social care services.