Publication - FOI/EIR release

Breakdown of Health and Social care savings: FOI release

Published: 28 November 2024
Directorate: Health and Social Care Finance Directorate
Topic: Health and social care, Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/202400436726
Date received: 17 October 2024
Date responded: 14 November 2024

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Information requested

Please could I submit a further freedom of information request. Please provide a breakdown of the following savings lines provided at Annex A. Please provide a short description of a sentence or two explaining how these savings are being delivered and what schemes are affected.

Other Board Services and Miscellaneous Income
Capacity and Recruitment Strategy
Complex care
Mental health services
Other below £2m under “Quality and Improvement”
Social care support and NCS delivery
Board resilience

Response

Please find a breakdown of the requested categories below:

Other Board Services and Miscellaneous Income

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Population Health	Public Health Capabilities	COVID-19 funding and other services	Flu Vaccine Covid Vaccine	Flu Vaccine Covid Vaccine	8,200,000
Population Health	PH Resilience & Protection	COVID-19 funding and other services	Test and Protect COVID	Covid testing	3,300,000
Health & Social Care Finance	NHS Integration & Social Care	COVID-19 funding and other services	PPE	PPE	8,000,000
					19,500,000

Following the pandemic, the Scottish Government has returned to JCVI-advised flu cohorts. This means flu groups previously added to the programme during the pandemic for winter 2024-25 have been removed, notably those aged 50-64. Savings (totalling £8.2 million against vaccination spending) reflect reduced delivery costs and the purchase of fewer vaccines. Scottish Government policy remains to offer vaccination to all those recommended as eligible by the JCVI.

Following finalisation of 2023-24 costs, savings have also been made through operational efficiencies and revised assumptions on stock requiring to be purchased within the financial year. This has reduced anticipated PPE and test and protect funding requirements for 2024 25 – totalling £8 million and £3.3 million respectively.

Complex Care

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Autism & Neurodivergence	Different Minds Marketing	20,000
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Autism & Neurodivergence	Resilience Programme	20,000
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Learning Disability	Changing places toilets	3,250,000
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Trauma and ACEs	Core NTTP Budget	60,000
					3,350,000

As the table shows, the majority of the reduction relates to reprofiling the commencement of the Changing Places Toilet fund. Funding for future years will be considered as part of the annual Scottish Government budget process, with preparatory work on the fund continuing. Other smaller savings have been released based on a review of planned spend in 2024-25.

Capacity & Recruitment Strategy

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Health Workforce	Planning & Development	Education and Training	Capacity & Recruitment Strategy	Publication of the Nurse and Midwifery Taskforce report and the associated Listening Project report	100,000
Health Workforce	Planning & Development	Education and Training	Capacity & Recruitment Strategy	Medical Associate Professions Evaluation	100,000
Health Workforce	Planning & Development	Education and Training	Capacity and Recruitment Strategy	Capacity and Recruitment Strategy	2,925,000
					3,125,000

Savings against the Capacity and Recruitment budget line are based on reviewing spend on targeted recruitment campaigns being undertaken in this financial year and a reduction in the activity supporting workforce diversification.

Mental health services

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Mental Health Outcomes Framework	Mental Health Outcomes Framework	14,000,000
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Mental Health Care, Quality, Standards	Improving and protecting the Mental Health of People in Prisons	60,000
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Mental Health Care, Quality, Standards	Psychotropic Drug Directory - NES	3,559
Mental Health	Mental Health	Mental Health Services	Mental Health Care, Quality, Standards	Quality Standards - safety and wellbeing inspections of mental health services	205,953
					14,269,512

Reductions have been achieved through programmes being adapted, or which have come to an end. An example of this adaption is the £120 million Mental Health Enhanced Outcomes Framework which brings together a number of previous Mental Health funding streams, to now offer a single, flexible funding stream for NHS Boards and IJBs. This streamlining allows flexibility in how Boards and IJBs configure and organise mental health services, in order to deliver better outcomes to meet the needs of their local populations.

Other below £2m under “Quality and Improvement

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Chronic P	Chronic Pain Facility	169,924
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Cochlear I	Cochlear implants	762,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Diabetes	Scottish Diabetes Framework	128,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	LT Conditions	Long Term Conditions	28,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Neuro	Neurological Framework	243,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Neurological Framework	Neurological Framework	70,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Openness & Learning Unit	Openness and Learning Unit	68,800
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Palliative	Palliative Care	616,000
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Quality	Quality and Safety	26,971
Chief Operating Officer	Quality	Quality and Improvement	Trans Change	Transformational Change Fund	2,214,000
					4,326,695

Savings from the transformational change fund were generated from a review of the timelines associated with the national Digital Platform genomics pilot and planned implementation of the diagnostics transformationplan.

The palliative saving relates to a reprofiling of spend and bringing some work in house, with regards the analysis of palliative care strategy consultation responses; data collection and future care planning work. The remaining smaller value savings have been made through revised assumptions on the expected activity to be delivered in 2024-25 across the various budget lines.

Social care support and NCS delivery

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Social Care & NCS	ASC & Fair Work	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	Social Care Investment	Other	500,000
Social Care & NCS	NCS Development & Delivery	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	Programme	Staffing and Non staffing costs	2,300,000
Social Care & NCS	SC Immediate Response &Improvement	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	Social Care Investment	MDT	5,215,000
Social Care & NCS	ASC support for local transformation	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	Carers Act (243306)	Carers Policy	263,340
Social Care & NCS	NCS Development & Delivery	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	NCS Loc (243307)	NCS Local	100,000
Social Care & NCS	NCS Development & Delivery	National Care Service / Adult Social Care	NCS Nat	NCS National	652,000
					9,030,340

In year savings against the National Care Service budget line were identified through a restructure of the staffing compliment, filling only priority vacancies, as well as close management of non staff related spend, whilst ensuring delivery of key milestones.

Within social care, Multi-Disciplinary team funding has been maintained in line with the winter planning policy commitment, with a saving anticipated against staff costs in 2024-25.

Board Resilience

Directorate	Division	Fiscal Statement Level 3	Budget Name	Title of Spend	£
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	Health Resilience	1,000,000
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	CBRN Stockpile Procurement	544,000
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	Antiviral Purchase	275,094
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	NPFS Dormancy Fee	110,000
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	SAS: SORT: Decon	288,000
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	NSS: Pharmaceutical Procurement	183,000
Chief Operating Officer	EPRR	Other	Health Resilience	Vaccine Contract (APA)	4,462,464
					6,862,558

The £6.9 million forecast savings relate to release of historical budget to support board pressures and reduction in spend on National Pharmaceutical Countermeasures and Consumables.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

There is a problem

Thanks for your feedback

Was this helpful?

Yes

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.

Choose a reason for your feedback

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.

Yes, but

Choose a reason for your feedback

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.