Concerns over spiralling costs of social care painting 'bleak' picture in Falkirk area

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Falkirk’s Integration Joint Board, which oversees health and social services in the district, heard on Friday that a review of services has been finding savings through “transformation and efficiencies”, as it seeks to close a budget gap of £21 million over three years.

These changes are being introduced at the same time as charges rise sharply for some people who receive social care, as agreed as part of Falkirk Council’s budget.

A public consultation on the effect the changes will have revealed that many people are deeply worried about the impact on services.

More than 600 people took part in online on in-person sessions, while 251 written submissions were received from a range of people including Falkirk Council staff and relatives and carers of service users.

The feedback included views on areas including care packages, where it was noted: “Respondents frequently emphasised the need for regular and thorough reviews of care packages to ensure they meet the actual needs of individuals, with many expressing concerns that current assessments are inadequate or infrequent.

“There is a strong sentiment that reductions in care packages could lead to increased stress on families and carers, potentially resulting in social isolation and mental health issues.”

Carers were among those consulted and they also raised concerns about issues such as access to respite.

The feedback noted: “Many expressed concerns about the current inadequacy of respite services, noting long waiting lists, lack of availability, and the stress caused by insufficient support. There is a strong call for more equitable access to respite services, as some families struggle to get any respite while others receive regular breaks.”

Chief officer Gail Woodcock said that while the conversations had been “difficult and challenging”, they had also been very helpful to help them “understand what the impact will be for people in our communities”.

Board members agreed that the financial position is ‘bleak’, although it was noted that all IJB’s across Scotland are facing similar challenges, as highlighted in a recent report by Audit Scotland.

Members heard that Falkirk Council and NHS Forth Valley have each agreed that they will step in to help meet the overspend this year.

Despite this support, which was welcomed, the board heard that major changes will need to be made over the next three years in order to meet the budget deficit.

Ms Woodcock highlighted ongoing work with NHS Forth Valley to reduce the number of people experiencing delays in being discharged from hospital, although this had been paused due to the financial uncertainty.

Members heard that staff were also being affected by the uncertainty and senior officers heard a plea for more “visible leadership” and more contact with teams.

Staff representative Roger Ridley said that the pause in a redesign of the ‘care at home’ programme has been “causing anxiety” for many frontline staff and he was given reassurances that unions would be involved in any changes.

Members of the board agreed the annual budget, which is worth £312 million and covers a range of services including:

• £55.3m in care and support at home services across the Falkirk area.
• £55m within Primary Care.
• £45.6 within large hospital services (unscheduled care).
• £43.4m for residential care within care homes and bedded community facilities which provide short-term rehabilitation care.
• £35.5 for prescribing.
• £9.4m in mental health services and support within the community.
• £9.1m to support social work assessment and care planning.
• £9m to support community-based Allied Health Professionals, which cover occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language support, dietetics, podiatry, and prosthetics and orthotics.
• £7.6m in Falkirk and Bo’ness Community Hospitals.
• £6.3 within District Nursing.
• £5.3m to fund support delivered by voluntary and community organisations.
• £2.1m in community learning disability support

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