West Lothian’s Integration Joint Board has called for a meeting with local MSPs to bid for more funding.
The Board decided this week it needs to speak face to face with cabinet ministers Angela Constance, the Justice Secretary and Fiona Hyslop, the Transport Secretary. They will also write to the Health Secretary.
The decision comes as it was revealed it would use up the last of its £2.4m reserves just to break even this financial year. Labour councillor Tom Conn called it a “milestone”.
The Board, which oversees health and social care in West Lothian, is jointly funded by NHS Lothian and West Lothian Counci. It will rely solely on increased funding from these two “parents” in the future to continue to operate.
Chief Financial Officer Hamish Hamilton warned of an overspend of just under £3m. The overspend has increased by more than a £1m since the board last met in September.
Adult social care and wider health care costs overseen by the Board are surging as demand grows. The board has already agreed savings of £8.9m, 93% of which have been achieved.
“It is a considerable achievement given the scale and complexity of what we are having to deliver,” Mr Hamilton told the Board.
He added: “Even with these savings we will not reach break-even. We are holding £2.8m in reserves, of which £2.4m is uncommitted.
“Approving this plan will reduce reserves to zero leaving no flexibility should the financial position worsen. Any further deterioration in 25/26 would require additional payments by the partners.”
Chair of the Board John Innes told the meeting: “I’m hoping the colleagues don’t see this as a surprise, We have been reviewing the situation for some time. This is the formal notification of the situation we find ourselves in.”
Councillor Tom Conn said there was “no alternative” but agreed to use up reserves.
“What are we going to do to inform the general public and the Scottish Government? We are where we never wanted to be and it’s really a case of who is listening, because it is time for the platitudes to finish.
“There are structural issues. We have an elderly population, and we have a drugs overspend. These are not secret. There needs to be a positive response from the Scottish Government to address that.
“This needs to be set out in stark terms. It is a milestone.”
He told the Board: “We need to tell our local MSPs because ultimately, they will be in that budget debate in parliament, but we also currently have two cabinet secretaries. If we are not going to tell them what’s happening on their patch, then we may as well pack up camp and disappear into the distance.”
Steven Dunn, a staff representative on the Board, said: “If we have two MSPs in the cabinet, should we be demanding a meeting with them so we can put it across person to person rather than just writing a letter?
Mr Innes said: “I would agree with that. I think we should invite them to come along and meet the Board.”
With no reserves going into the new financial year in April, the Board faces a “£20m gap over the next two years” and will have to look at “capping or cutting” services according to the finance report.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
