Senior officials conceded “this is not where we want to be” as more than £19 million of cost-cutting measures were discussed at a sombre meeting.
Efforts to close a budget black hole of £11.8m facing Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) in 2025/26 – a figure that estimates have previously said could stretch to £34.9m the following year – have ramped up.
A series of “truly awful” proposals aimed at addressing the chasm were unveiled at the integration joint board (IJB), the body responsible for oversight of the HSCP, on Friday.
Chief officer Christine Laverty said: “I think what we all feel in the chambers is that this is not where we want to be in terms of, for the IJB members, making some of these very difficult decisions.
“I’ve worked in health and social care in the public sector for over 30 years and 22 of those years have been managing budgets and I can’t remember ever such a financially challenging time.
“What I would want to say is this is not just affecting Renfrewshire, this is a national issue. Every IJB around Scotland have significant budget gaps alongside increasing demand for both health and social care services.”
The IJB approved certain savings for immediate implementation and agreed that other ideas should be developed further and, where appropriate, become the subject of engagement before future consideration.
In the former category are areas such as operational efficiencies, where processes can be delivered more effectively, and vacancy or post management.
The latter covers the redesign of service delivery models, including a review of the learning disabilities respite service and of children’s services health visiting, and closures through the removal of Flexicare, Autism Connections and Childsmile.
It also agreed that the HSCP continues to review the eligibility criteria policy and the impact of moving to critical eligibility only for new packages of care.
However, board member Councillor Iain McMillan asked for his dissent to be recorded after his plea for the proposals to be put on hold until the Scottish Government’s budget process had concluded was not seconded and ultimately fell.
He said: “We’ve all dreaded this day. Some of the proposals are truly awful. I’m not criticising officers because I don’t think there’s any officers in here who want to be in this situation. They don’t.”
The veteran politician added: “I, in all honesty, can’t sit here and just nod these through. I can’t do that, it’s way against my conscience.”
Mark Ferguson, Unison branch secretary, revealed the union had “significant concerns” relating to the content and detail of the report presented at the meeting.
He said: “This is people, the staff, not just the service users but also those delivering those services, and we are in discussions with the department around some of the proposals. I think that it will be a very difficult period if these savings or cuts as we call them have to be implemented.”
The IJB’s decision will lead to the immediate implementation of around £13.8m of savings over the next three financial years and the progression to further engagement of approximately £3.3m of savings covering the same period. Councillor Jennifer Adam, chair of the board, concluded the debate by saying: “I don’t think I’ve ever done anything as difficult in my life.”
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