Health and social care services face £200 million overspend

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today revealed that Health and Social Care partnerships were predicting that they would overspend by more than £200 million in the 2024-25 financial year.

Analysis of documents, including board minutes and financial planning docs, published by Health and Social Care Partnerships reveal that in recent months:

• Fife topped the list with the largest projected deficit of £35.4 million.

• This was followed by Dumfries & Galloway (£21 million), Edinburgh (£20.2 million) and Glasgow City (£17.5 million). Several partnerships have brought forward proposed savings to deal with the projected deficits.

• Edinburgh attributed its deficit to slippage in delivery of savings schemes and the increasing cost of prescription drugs.

• Dundee warned that if the IJB were to utilise the £4.689m in their General Reserves, it would leave the residual reserve balance at only £27,000 at end of financial year

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Scotland’s health and care boards are facing severe financial challenges.

“These deficits are obviously changing regularly but it’s clear that health and care services are under immense pressure.

“Health bosses are facing tough decisions about how to balance the books.

“The gap between the services we want and the services that the health service can provide seems to be getting wider and wider. Unfortunately so far there seems to be little acknowledgement of the problem from the SNP. Instead we have had a succession of health secretaries who deliver warm words but little action.

“You can’t wave a wand and get our health and care services back on track. There needs to be considerable upfront investment in diagnostic tests, staffing and preventative care to reduce the burden on both NHS and care services.”