Argyll and Bute Health Chief Looks to Future Despite Financial Recovery Plan

ARGYLL and Bute’s chief health officer insists that the area’s health and social care partnership is “looking forward” to the future of key services despite a financial recovery plan.
Health chiefs will consider £500,000 worth of proposed savings on social work services at a meeting in Oban next week.
Evan Beswick, chief officer of the partnership (HSCP), has conceded that social care services are under “particular financial pressure” but added that methods of making them more efficient were being explored.
Mr Beswick’s report, and the financial recovery plan, will be considered at a meeting of the HSCP’s integration joint board (IJB) on Wednesday, May 28.
Councillors on the IJB have previously spoken of the “tough decisions” which lie ahead on social care services.
He said: “As I have previously described, one of the most pressing challenges is our current financial situation and we are not alone in this as it is a situation faced by many HSCPs across the country.
“We are having to operate within a budget that is continuing to reduce in real terms while we are facing increasing demands on our health and social care services.
“Our social work/social care services are under particular financial pressure and you will see today that the team within the HSCP is working hard and making difficult choices to manage this.
“In the papers for the IJB meeting this month there are proposals for a financial ‘recovery plan’ for these services.
“At the same time, however, we are looking forward to the future of these services. They are such an important part of our health and social care system but demographic, workforce and financial changes mean it is becoming more difficult to deliver them.
“We are therefore looking into how we can make them more efficient while still delivering a high standard of care for the people who use them.”
Mr Beswick added: “It’s important that we understand and communicate the impact of the changes we are making to social care, which will involve targeting resources at the most vulnerable, focussing on people’s individual circumstances (i.e. what they can do, rather than what they can’t), and ensuring our processes for assessment and commissioning are as good as they can be.
“Our local teams are also looking at how we can help individuals utilise other support mechanisms that may be available to them such as carers centres, maximising any benefits that may be available and working with families to provide them with guidance and support in relation to caring for their relatives.
“We need to be transparent that the changes we are making will impact the way people experience our care and the amount of it some people are able to access. We must always ensure that we deliver on our statutory obligations.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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