Increase of £1.4 million for health board
Peter JohnsonNHS Shetland is set to receive an additional £1.4 million in the coming financial year, Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced.
The increase represents an uplift of 3.2 per cent, bringing the board’s overall funding to £44.0 million.
For NHS Shetland this includes an additional £0.8 million to bring the board within one per cent of parity under the NHS funding formula, known as NRAC. It is one of nine boards to receive this extra payment under the formula.
The money includes £0.4 million for investment in social care as part of the on-going integration of health and social care. This funding will be used by local health and social care partnerships to ensure people have the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
In addition, NHS Shetland will receive a share of £128 million to help support delivery of service reform. This extra funding will support the redesign of services so the NHS can meet the challenges of an ageing population.
Ms Robison said: “This settlement represents a substantial additional investment in health services for the people of Shetland. It reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to continue to support our NHS with record levels of investment.
“However, I am also clear that this investment must be accompanied with service reform. We recognise that our growing elderly population means that we need to shift the focus of care towards the community, and that is what we’ll continue to do.
“It is nearly one year since we integrated health and social care across Scotland. This reform will enable us to support more people to remain independent for as long as possible, and receive care in the community rather than in hospital.
“Over the coming months we will be working with all health boards to help them develop sustainable financial plans for this year and beyond. Together we will ensure that this investment delivers better care, better services and better value.”
gordon downing
As long as the money goes on patients care. Not the usual job creation for families of senior management. Nepotism at its best,as is the norm for NHS shetland.
David Spence
The NHS in England and Wales, under this awful government, is being dismantled piece by piece, and it will not be long before the SNP, are forced to do the same. Since the Tories have done away with the Barnett Formula, and monies going to Scotland, becoming less and less, sooner or later, such actions as privatisation will, regretfully, be enforced.
I agree with Gordon, and I hope the money goes towards patient care, but as the NHS is forced to do reforms, I suspect such monies will go more towards the higher levels of the NHS rather than where it is needed.
Under this government there is no optimism, as their agenda only projects pessimism and a society of the have’s and have not’s slowly but surely being formed.
The more the NHS is undermined by this government, the greater the excuse this government will say to privatise it……….exactly as they wanted and planned. Whether the Scottish government can counter-act this, I am very sceptical……….especially, as mentioned, funds from Westminster become less and less.
Whether an independent Scotland can do better in terms of improvement of the NHS remains to be seen.