Glasgow health partnership facing £42.5m budget gap with 145 jobs under threat

Over 145 jobs could be cut in Glasgow’s health and social care services as plans to plug a £42.5m budget gap have been revealed.

A supported living service for the elderly — including people with dementia — is at risk, while a counselling service for sexual assault victims at the Sandyford clinic could also be axed.

Unions say the services are “in crisis” and “desperately under-resourced”, with a funding deficit of £120m estimated over the next three years.

Health chiefs have drawn up a raft of savings to cover the shortfall — which they say is a result of “unprecedented” financial pressures.

The budget does not include the soaring cost of dealing with a Home Office decision to speed up asylum claims, estimated to be £45.3m — which Glasgow City Council has agreed to cover.

Under the plans, almost 73 full-time equivalent roles in council services are at risk, and another 75 roles in health services could be eliminated.

Officials say there will be no compulsory redundancies, with vacant posts left empty and staff redeployed where possible. Some council employees could take voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

Glasgow’s integration joint board (IJB), which directs the health and social care partnership (HSCP), receives funding from both the council and NHS. It meets to set a budget on Wednesday.

Trade unions, including Unison, GMB and Unite, will protest against the proposed cuts on Tuesday outside HSCP offices on Albion Street.

Stuart Graham, Unison social work convener, said: “Around £100m has been cut from the HSCP budget over the last three years. It is estimated that £120m will be cut over the next three years.

“Glasgow’s health and social care services are in crisis. We cannot continue to merely manage decline and plan to fail.”

He added: “Nearly everyone agrees that local government and health are desperately under-resourced. We need politicians that are prepared to fight for the funding needed to deliver for the workers and people of Glasgow.”

Just over £5m of savings have already been approved, with proposals for another £37.3m going before the board on Wednesday.

Cutting the support living service, which provides social supports for almost 40 elderly users, is estimated to save £2.8m and impact 60 staff.

Officials say the number of users has declined significantly, and users would be assessed to ensure their needs are met by other services.

Removing a counselling service at the Sandyford clinic would save £200,000. It has offered support to people who have experienced sexual assault, termination of pregnancy and other sexual issues. Five staff would be affected by the decision.

Reviews are planned to save money in commissioned services for alcohol and drug recovery and homelessness as well as the psychotherapy service and health improvement.

Primary care mental health teams and the health visiting service, which supports families with children under five, are set to be reduced. Almost £1.8m is expected to be saved through reducing self-directed support budgets.

It is hoped £4.6m can be saved on prescribing costs, including switching to “cheaper brands and drugs which we know will come off patent”.

Charges for non-residential services are also set to increase, with most rising by 5%. Hot meals are expected to go up by 13% due to “increased food costs”. Almost £3m could be taken from reserves.

A report to the board states: “The financial pressures facing the IJB are unprecedented and reflective of both cost and demand pressures. The funding allocations received do not fully meet these pressures.”

It adds funding is “not keeping pace with the demand and inflationary pressures which are being faced within the health and social care system”.

A spokeswoman for the HSCP said: “These proposals, which will be presented to the IJB at its meeting on 19 March, aim to protect core services and minimise the impact of budget pressures on staff, patients and service users.

“It’s evident we need to change the way we operate in some services in order to manage demand and still deliver our core services. We are committed to supporting staff through this change. Staff will not be required to do more with less resources.”