BAILLIE BLASTS SNP'S OUTRAGEOUS RAID ON IJB FUNDS - Health And Social Care Partnerships To Have £331Million Taken Back

23rd January 2023

Scottish Labour have branded the SNP's attempts to claw back £331 million from health and social care Integrated Joint Boards "outrageous".

The SNP Government first threatened to take back funding from IJB reserves in October 2022 - however, the move was blocked as the Scottish Government have no legal mechanism to do so directly.

The Scottish Government have now written to Health and Social Care partnerships confirming they will use Health Board funding to "enable Covid reserves to be returned".

In practice, the plans mean the SNP Government will use Health Board budgets to raid IJB coffers to the tune of £331 million by reducing the amount given to health boards by government.

Labour slated the move at a time when social care is under so much pressure.

Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said, "This is an outrageous raid on social care funding.

“Care services are at crisis point and it is causing chaos across our NHS, but the SNP government have decided this is a good time to pick their pockets.

“The SNP government are always quick to remind us that the pandemic is still taking a toll on services - but their finance department seems to think otherwise.

“They must drop these reckless plans to reduce health board budgets and let local health and social care bodies use this funding to deliver the social care services we desperately need.”

There are a total of 31 integration authorities in Scotland; Highland is the only area to adopt the lead agency arrangement, in which the local authority takes responsibility for children's health and social care services and the Health Board has responsibility for adult health and social care.

Highland is the one area of 32 councils somewhat different using the Lead Agency model. Google it if you are not sure what difference it makes - not much in practice.