Care board reserves shrink by 40% in a year

Responding to the embargoed report from the Accounts Commission which warns that community health and social care finances are ‘increasingly precarious’, with Integrated Joint Board reserves depleted by 40% in 2023/24 and an increase in the projected funding gap of £100 million, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“There is a mountain of pressure facing health and social care services.

“SNP ministers have failed to relieve that strain from boards. They’ve allowed problems to boil over and spill out into the rest of the NHS. If people can't get a care home place or a care package, too often they are left sitting in hospital, even if they are otherwise well enough to leave. That gums up the whole medical system from A&E onwards.

“Only Scottish Liberal Democrats have a plan to fix the crisis in social care by introducing a new minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher. That’s how we can get people care at home or in the community and free up space in hospital, helping everyone get seen faster.”