SERIOUS concerns have been expressed at news of a £58 million black hole in the region’s health and social care finances.
The perilous, and worsening, state of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s finances were laid bare at a meeting of officials on Tuesday.
Health bosses revealed the dire situation and admitted they are ‘wrestling’ with the funding shortfall – and warned it could impact care.
At this week’s Dumfries and Galloway Integration Joint Board (IJB) which oversees both NHS and council-run adult care services, chief finance officer Katy Kerr said that despite identifying more than £25 million in potential savings, a gap of £32.7 million remains.
And she described the situation as the most difficult financial position the IJB has encountered, adding: “Even with a very ambitious savings programme, we are left with a funding gap that threatens the stability of essential services.
“We’ve made real efforts to identify savings and drive efficiencies, but the cost pressures we’re experiencing — across staffing, prescribing, and care provision — are far beyond anything that can be solved through marginal cuts.”
The NHS side of the IJB is facing a projected deficit of £33.6 million, while adult social care has a gap of £6.7 million after savings. The combined financial pressure of £57.92 million is the largest the region has seen.
Ms Kerr says the situation is further compounded by the Scottish Government’s confirmation that no further emergency funding, or ‘brokerage’, will be provided this year. Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board had previously relied on £35.6 million in brokerage to maintain balance.
Furthermore, reserve funds are also nearly depleted.
The IJB on Tuesday agreed an interim budget for 2025/26 and a more detailed update, including additional savings proposals, is due to be brought to its next meeting in June.
Meanwhile, South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth described it as ‘hugely concerning’.
He said: “Most people know that to make savings of this magnitude, services will suffer.
“With waiting lists sky rocketing, our A&E department overrun, and delayed discharge continuing to pose huge problems, there is an urgent need to ramp up activity, but our health service simply cannot cope.
“Services are at breaking point, staff are exhausted and demoralised, and patients are being put at risk – but while our NHS was buckling under pressure, the Scottish Government has failed to recognise the scale of the problem.”
