Do not add the published average to today’s date and treat the result as a moving date. A place has to match the assessed service type and the choices recorded on the application. A family accepting several suitable homes has a different set of possible offers from one waiting for a single building.
Read the correct row and the footnote
SWD publishes separate figures for care-and-attention places in subvented/contract homes, EBPS places and nursing-home places. Its 31 March 2026 release, for example, reported 22 months for the first group and 6 months for EBPS. These are a dated illustration, not an October forecast. Use the current statistics page for the latest release.
The measure uses normal cases admitted during the preceding three months, rather than everybody still waiting. Priority cases and cases with an inactive history are excluded from that calculation. The average can therefore change even when an individual family’s situation has not changed.
Use three planning horizons
| Horizon | Decision |
|---|---|
| This week | Can the current carer safely continue? If not, tell the responsible worker exactly which hours and tasks are uncovered. |
| Next three months | Cost realistic home/day care or a private interim place. Ask about respite availability and its admission requirements. |
| If no offer arrives | Set a budget review date and decide which other homes or districts would still work for regular family visits. |
Four questions for the responsible worker
- Is the application active, and what service category and choices are currently recorded?
- Would broadening the acceptable homes change the options, and would any change affect the application date?
- Have recent falls, hospital admissions, care changes or loss of a carer made reassessment necessary?
- What happens if an offer is declined, and by when must a decision be made?
Keep those answers with the application reference. If circumstances deteriorate, contact the worker then; waiting for the next average to be published will not update the care plan.