Plans to cut Fife’s prescription costs ‘hugely optimistic’

Council leader not convinced proposals are realistic in bid to slash £6m

A bid to slash £6 million from Fife’s prescribing budget as part of key savings proposals has been branded hugely optimistic.

Fife Council leader David Ross said he was not convinced the plan was realistic in the face of a hike in the price of medicines and an ageing population, despite a huge campaign aimed at cutting costs.

This includes reviewing the prescriptions of 100,000 patients across the region to see if cheaper alternatives can be found.

Efforts to save £5 million on drugs in this year’s budget have failed and prescribing costs actually rose by £3.3m in just one month between December and January.

The planned £6m reduction in drugs spending forms part of a package of proposals to meet a £23m shortfall in funding overall.

Chief finance officer Lesley Kenworthy warned there was a risk that prescribing cost pressures may not be contained, prompting fears the alternative would be cuts to health and social care services.

Mr Ross, one of those who voted against the proposals, said: “I have real concerns that the decision taken today will mean significant cuts to services and job losses in health and social care in the months to come.

“Officials have tried their best to bridge the £23m gap in funding but the reality is that funding from the Scottish Government is just not enough.”

He said an extra £5m had been allocated by Fife Council and some savings had been identified through a redesign of services.

But he added: “This has left a black hole of £10m in the budget to be filled by a hugely optimistic saving of £6m in prescribing costs and £4m of as yet unidentified savings.

“The cost of prescribing has actually risen in the current year so I am not at all convinced £6m can be saved from prescribing next year.”

Director of pharmacy Evelyn McPhail said there was an extensive plan in place to achieve the necessary savings involving all of Fife’s GPs and nursing staff.

“We actually now have a national presence in the work we have done and other boards are looking to us to ask how we have achieved it,” she said.

The reality is that funding from the Scottish Government is just not enough. COUNCIL LEADER DAVID ROSS