Argyll health services facing funding abyss of £22 million
SOCIAL care and health services in Argyll face a £22 million funding gap over the next two years – described by a Mid Argyll councillor as a ‘financial precipice’.
The local governing body for health and social care, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board (IJB) revealed last week that it must make savings of £16.3 million for 2017/18 and a further £5.7 million for 2018-19 from its annual budget of £256 million.
Christina West, chief officer for the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, said: ‘The need to find savings of this scale is due to a range of factors including increasing demands on health and social care services, the effects of inflation and the estimated level of funding from our partner bodies, NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Council.’
Mrs West emphasised changes in approach, away from ‘reactive emergency-based services’ such as those provided in hospitals to ‘community-based services which focus on prevention, early intervention and helping people make better lifestyle choices’.
IJB bosses will also look at reducing waste and better use of digital technology. Plans are also being drawn up to ‘rationalise’ the number of buildings used.
Mid Argyll councillor Dougie Philand, a former mental health nurse, said: ‘We are on the edge of a precipice. Services are stretched as it is and when you think the IJB is considering changes to Thompson Court on Bute, Struan Lodge in Dunoon, Auchinlee in Campbeltown and the Oban general hospital, I don’t think the community has the infrastructure to support what is already being proposed, let alone a further £22 million of savings.
‘Staff are working increasingly hard with less support and resources to provide a service and I am therefore fearful for the robustness of services in the future.’
Argyll and Bute MSP Michael Russell told the Advertiser: ‘I find the explanations of the situation from the IJB unconvincing. The local authority and IJB have been funded according to agreed formulae and they should be agreeing on transfers of money that allow services to be delivered. I want to see a clear, open, simple explanation of what the issues are and the options. They have never offered that to me as the local member, let alone the local public.’
Tarbert-based councillor Anne Horn stressed the anxiety caused to communities over threats to care homes, adding: ‘The lack of community engagement to identify the needs of our residents is an additional concern.’
Mrs Horne concluded: ‘Savings could be made from much less use of agency workers throughout the service, and using a combined information system would save costs and time for staff who have to report to several systems. I do believe this is a priority that must be addressed with urgency.’