Councillors Warned of Budget Pressures

Highland Councillors have been told that the Council is meeting targets and improving services for older people and children - but that this is having an adverse impact on its budget. 
 
In a report to the Housing and Social Work Committee, Harriet Dempster, Director of Social Work, says that the increased number of frailer older people in the community is prompting increased referrals for social care services and support.  Furthermore the higher numbers of looked after children in care are overstretching the resources available.

The Council is delivering on its commitment to deliver free personal care without recourse to waiting lists and charging for meals. The expenditure on personal care exceeds the government allocation. The social work service is also  working with NHS Highland to ensure people do not remain in hospital when they could be discharged home with support or to a care placement. 

The effect of this, she reports, is that front line staff are under considerable pressure to meet  the demand and there  is a projected overspend of £2.4 million on the Social Work budget by the end of the financial year.
 
Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee, said: “Like much of Scotland, we have an increasing number of  people needing our social work services , and we are needing to invest more in the services. Our budgets will have to catch up with this, but we are presently spending more than has previously been allocated.  The Council is clear that it will provide free personal and nursing care to all those who meet the criteria and that people will not remain unnecessarily in hospital.  That costs money.”

She added: “We have asked managers to ensure that appropriate action is taken to ensure that services are prioritised, and that budgets are used efficiently to meet need.  The Committee appreciates fully the excellent work that staff are doing in ensuring services are delivered effectively to those people who require them.   We are also working closely with colleagues in NHS Highland to make sure that we have a joined-up approach.

"We know that other Scottish authorities are facing these very same issues, which have built up over a number of years, and discussions are taking place with the new Scottish Government about this.”
 
The Joint Committee on Children & Young People will also be told that the Council is facing an escalating cost for external placements for looked after children.  These placements involve specialist care and educational support provided by residential schools, which are all located outwith the Highland area.  The majority of these young people are placed in such schools by the Children’s Panel, but the costs fall to the authority, which may involve an extra £1.8m this year.

Councillor Liz MacDonald, the Council’s spokesperson for children’s services, said: “We have developed many services to support more young people within Highland, and staff in the Council and voluntary sector have been particularly successful in their skilled  work with young offenders.  However, some young people, especially those with complex needs, will always need specialist support, and the cost of such placements has increased enormously in recent years.”