Improving national data on Personal Assistants

A strategic objective of the national Personal Assistant Programme Board is to source data on the Personal Assistant workforce in Scotland.

Self Directed Support Scotland leads on work to source improved data via the national PA Workforce survey, which has been conducted in 2022 and 2023 – you can access reports from these surveys below. A third survey is planned to commence in 2025.

Unlike other parts of the social care workforce in Scotland, data on Personal Assistants has been scarce. The insights gained from the two workforce surveys has given, for the first time, robust national data on the PA workforce in Scotland, including:

• the demographics of the PA workforce
• the geographical spread of PAs across Scotland
• PAs’ working conditions, including their employment status, working hours and rates of pay
• characteristics of the workforce that affect their role, eg. their own health and whether they also provide unpaid care
• what other employment sectors people move into the PA role from, and how long they stay in the role
• what attracts people to work as a PA, as well as the challenges their role brings.

The insights from this data underpin other actions of the PA Programme Board, shaping work to improve recruitment, training and wellbeing of PAs in particular.

Keep an eye on this page, or sign up to our newsletter, for updates on further work to improve Personal Assistant data.