This report by the Institute of Public Care (IPC) for The Learning Disability Coalition (LDC)/MENCAP explores patterns of public expenditure on learning disability (LD) services and the relationship between expenditure and service delivery. It does this by reviewing a set of hypotheses using national data sources.
The report finds that residential care costs are still the highest area of LD expenditure, that LD social care costs have risen but that this is not just attributable to a rise in residential care use or charges, and that residential care costs have remained broadly in line with the general increase in LD costs. It also finds that LD expenditure has risen steadily as a proportion of all adult social care expenditure, that the growth in spend on direct payments is the most rapidly expanding area of growth, and that health sector costs have not fallen as much as might have been anticipated.
Suggestions are made regarding the value of completing a second part of this exercise, such as identifying and reviewing a small sample of local authorities and exploring the story behind their costs profile, and recommendations are given for collecting national data. There is an appendix of published data sources.
For further information please contact Keith Moultrie at IPC
Email: ipc@brookes.ac.uk
Tel. 01225 484088
