The Leader of ɬ Council is to invite the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to a meeting to discuss targeted support for the challenges the area’s health and social care services face.
Social work and social care services receive the second highest proportion of the council’s budget after Education services; and are delivered by the local Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).
Demand for social services is growing, and is expected to continue to increase, in large part due to people living longer and requiring care in later years. As well as having an ageing population, ɬ’s geography brings challenges in recruiting people to provide services, and in additional costs of delivering care in remote areas.
At the same time as raising ɬ’ s case independently, the council has committed to continue working collectively with other councils, through CoSLA, for funding to match rural area demands, and for integrated care and early support services that reduce pressure on crisis care.
Councillor Dougie McFadzean, Policy Lead for health and social care services said:
“Health and social care staff in ɬ work extremely hard to deliver the best support possible for the people who need our services. Funding is clearly key to this. There are huge pressures on health and social care budgets across Scotland, and ɬ is no exception.
Funding alone is not the answer however to developing services that are sustainable into the future. New ways of working or training to develop the skills that are needed locally - additional actions like these are key.
Locally we are making progress, thanks to the hard work of HSCP staff and new innovations, but ɬ also needs national support. Our communities deserve sustainable, equitable access to care, and that requires coordinated action.”
Councillor Jim Lynch, Leader of ɬ Council said:
“This is about standing up for ɬ, and bringing local and national efforts together to deliver solutions.”
