A WARNING of record deficits and deepening pressures dominated Tuesday’s meeting of Dumfries and Galloway’s Integration Joint Board (IJB).
At a meeting, members were told that while the accounts for 2024/25 balanced this was only achieved with emergency funding. Looking ahead, the picture is bleaker still – a £58 million deficit is forecast for 2025/26, with savings of more than £30 million yet to be found.
Newly-appointed IJB Interim Chief Officer Gareth Marr said: “Our staff and communities continue to show remarkable resilience, but the pressures on health and social care are mounting.
“Without urgent renewal, we will struggle to keep pace with the needs of local people.”
The accounts confirmed a break-even position for 2024/25 was only made possible only by extra funding from the Health and Social Care Partnership’s statutory partners – £22.6 million extra from the NHS and £1.8 million from the Council.
Even then, reserves fell sharply from £8.8 million to £4.1 million, with every penny tied to specific projects such as winter planning and mental health recovery.
Mr Marr said: “We are not just facing a financial gap – we are facing a fundamental test of how we deliver care. Transformation is not optional; it’s essential.”
The financial strain is being mirrored in services across the region. Demand for emergency care is rising, hospital discharges are delayed, and waiting lists for planned treatment are growing – even though the Board’s performance compares well with other areas. The pressure is system-wide, with social care facing more people waiting for support at home and fewer residential places available.
In the face of this challenge, the IJB’s operational arm, Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, is pushing ahead with work developing four of its cottage hospitals as community hubs and introducing new pathways such as ‘Discharge to Assess’.
Early results show that almost half of those leaving hospital through this scheme regained full independence within weeks.
Social care budget pressures
A separate monitoring report presented today focused on the council’s delegated social care budget, which is already under severe strain in the new financial year.
By the end of June, services faced £12.5 million in additional pressures – driven by rising demand in learning disability and older people’s care, as well as higher energy and staffing costs.
While some savings have been delivered through care package reviews and digital innovations, most of the required reductions remain outstanding. Senior councillors have pledged closer involvement, promising non-recurring ‘spend-to-save’ funding and enhanced oversight.
Summing up the overall position, Mr Marr said: “Our priority remains the same – safe, effective, compassionate care for local people – but we must deliver it in new ways or otherwise risk letting down those who need us most.”