Please Note: ST-Max activity data is based on 150 of the 151 local authorities; one local authority was not able to provide this information as part of their submission due to Covid-19 pressures.
ST-Max is a time limited period of short term support intended to maximise the independence of clients and reduce, or prevent, longer-term reliance on social care. In 2019-20 there were a total of 261,605 completed episodes of ST-Max where the outcome is known within the reporting period; 87.4% (219,390) of these completed episodes were delivered for adults aged 65 and over.
It is important to note that one person may have multiple episodes of ST-Max within the year. As such, the 261,605 episodes of ST-Max related to 222,005 clients, which equates to an average of 1.2 completed episodes of ST-Max per client during the year.
The Primary Support Reason describes why the individual requires social care support. ST-Max is typically provided to those clients with a primary support reason of physical support. This is where an individual requires help because they find physical things difficult to do by themselves. Physical support was stated as the primary support reason for 87.9% (230,075) of completed ST-Max episodes in the period.
The same can be seen when considering the £349 million (up £18 million since 2018-19) gross current expenditure on ST-Max, where 83.4% (£291 million) was allocated to services for clients with a primary support reason of physical support.
ST-Max is not only offered to new clients. Many (though not all) local authorities offer this to existing clients, who account for 11.6% (30,310) of the total completed episodes of ST-Max in the period. Given that existing clients already have long term needs, the outcomes are very different.
The following section will only discuss the outcomes for new clients (those not already in receipt of long term care). Data on outcomes for existing clients can be found in Table 27 of the reference tables and data files accompanying this report.