Moray Integration Joint Board to consider measures to address £10.2 million budget shortfall
COST saving measures to address a £10.2 million budget shortfall which is putting Moray’s health and care system at risk will be discussed at a meeting this week.
Members of the Moray Integration Joint Board (IJB) will be asked to support proposals for service reform and redesign on Thursday.
It is hoped that proposals that are agreed upon will deliver £8.3 million of “in-year savings” which the IJB says are needed to maintain essential services in the region.
The IJB says that demand for services is growing in Moray but the cost of delivering these services continues to rise.
These costs are not being matched by its funding partners, Moray Council and NHS Grampian, which are both having to make significant budget savings this year.
Councillor Tracy Colyer (Conservatives, Keith and Cullen), chair of the IJB, says “difficult financial decisions” must be taken to address the funding gap.
She said: “This is the most challenging situation we have faced as a board.
“We have no choice but to give the greatest consideration at next week’s meeting to opportunities to deliver health and care services differently whilst focusing on transformation.
“The savings proposals are about spending the money we have in the right places to care for and support the people of Moray who need it most.
“This could bring changes for many people and through open and honest conversations with all stakeholders, including our workforce, we will ensure voices are heard and concerns understood.”
Dennis Robertson, vice chair of the IJB, said: “Like all IJBs, local authorities and NHS boards across the country, we are facing extreme pressures on our budgets due to factors out with our control.
“As board members, we have a responsibility to make decisions which will protect essential services for the people of Moray.
“The savings proposals will help address our serious and significant funding gap now and help keep the IJB on a sustainable financial footing for the future.”
The IJB governs the work of Health and Social Care Moray, the local partnership responsible for providing a wide range of services in the community for children, families, adults and older people.
Simon Bokor-Ingram, chief officer, said Health and Social Care Moray has always been committed to finding new ways of working and ensuring services run as efficiently as possible.
He added that, despite this, the “size and scale” of the financial challenges means continuing to work in the same way is no longer a “viable option”.
Mr Bokor-Ingram, who will step down from his role at the end of the month due to health reasons, said: “The savings proposals to be considered by the board are not put forward lightly.
“In the face of increasing budget pressures, we are having to look even more closely and critically at every part of our operation and how best to balance demand against the limited resources available to us.
“Service transformation will support us to manage demand and deliver services as efficiently and effectively as possible so we can continue to achieve high-quality outcomes for the people of Moray.”
The savings proposals, if agreed by the IJB, will be subject to detailed engagement and consultation activities as required with stakeholders.
