Inverclyde’s health and care services are grappling with a projected overspend, prompting the need for emergency funds to cover the shortfall
Inverclyde: A meeting is coming up where the Integration Joint Board (IJB) will discuss using emergency funds to cover a predicted shortfall. It’s a bit of a worry, right?
The IJB is in charge of health and social care services in the area, working alongside the Scottish Government and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. They’ve got a lot on their plate.
According to a report from Kate Rocks, the chief officer of the Inverclyde health and social care partnership, they’re looking at a potential overspend of £636,000 soon. That’s a hefty amount!
This overspend includes a £575,000 deficit in social care and £61,000 in health services. It’s not great news for the community.
Kate mentioned that if this overspend sticks around by the end of the financial year, they can dip into their reserves to manage it. They started the year with about £19.2 million in reserves, so there’s a bit of a cushion.
The overspend is mainly due to rising costs in care packages, care home placements, and medications. Plus, there are challenges with mental health and addiction services.
Interestingly, the report noted that without some underspending in other areas, like staff costs, the overspend could have been closer to £4 million. That’s a silver lining, I guess!
Kate also shared that a review group is working hard to cut down overall costs. They’re hopeful that they can manage the overspend effectively.
However, there are still external factors affecting costs, like the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, inflation, and supply issues for medicines sourced from Europe. Prices for many drugs have shot up in recent years.
Kate’s report will be on the agenda for the IJB meeting on January 27, where councillors will discuss it further. The total budget for health and social care in Inverclyde is currently £216.7 million, with the council pitching in £73.7 million.
It’s worth noting that the Inverclyde IJB operates separately from the council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, giving them full control over health and social care spending.
