Care Assessments

Question

1. What was the (a) average, and (b) longest, period of time which older people (aged 65 and over) had to wait for a care assessment after requesting one from the council during the financial year of 2017-18, and 2018-2019 (to the nearest available date)?
2. How many older people during the financial year of 2017-18, and 2018-19, have been assessed as having care needs at ‘critical’ or ‘substantial’ risk level for which the council is responsible for?
3. How many of the people identified in question 2 received the service (such as the council providing their care directly, paying them the prescribed weekly free personal care and/or free nursing care payments) within the period of six weeks?
4. What was the (a) average, and (b) longest, period of time during the financial year of 2017-18, and 2018-19 that the people identified in question 2 had to wait between the completion of their assessment and receiving the service?
5. What were the reasons recorded for delays in providing the service?

Answer

Please see questions 1 and 2 below.  Under section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request if the estimated cost of doing so would exceed the amount prescribed by the Scottish Ministers.  That amount is currently £600.  As the estimated cost of complying with questions 3, 4 and 5 of your request would exceed £600 (as the information is not held in a reportable manner), the Comhairle is not obliged to comply with this part of your request and does not propose to do so. 

To answer these questions would involve admin manually going through 442 records.  This has been calculated in accordance with the Act as follows; average  2 hours per record x442 records =884 hours at admin level (£9.00per hour) =£785.60, the Act requires us to deduct the first £100.00 and then to charge 10% of the remainder. 

However, in accordance with section 15 of the Act, the Comhairle would be happy to consider any possible amendment of your request so as to narrow its scope (and therefore the cost of complying with it).  Please contact us if you believe that the scope of your request can be narrowed.

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