Fife HSCP confirms £21m cuts to staffing, respite provision and social care packages

A raft of measures approved by the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership behind closed doors include cuts to staffing, respite provision, and social work care packages.

Questions have been raised about how high the social care thresholds will be raised, which social care packages will be impacted, which “less critical functions” are at risk as part of the temporary staff reshuffle, and how many staff and patients will be affected.

In response to these questions, the Partnership said it “remains committed” to sharing relevant details about the recovery plans with the public.

“While the plan contains some currently confidential information, we remain committed to providing updates and sharing relevant details to service users and the wider public around the plan and mitigations that will be put in place in due course,” the Partnership said.

Fiona McKay, interim director of Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, explained that work has already begun in earnest on the recovery plan, and senior leaders have already met to begin finalising the next steps to actually deliver the work.

She said work “has to happen at pace” but it also has to be carried out safely alongside plans for how the Partnership will communicate with staff and with people who are affected by the changes.

“It is important we have those things in place first and we will share more detail in due course,” Ms McKay said.

“We know that, understandably, people will want more detailed information about the Recovery Plan.”

She added: “And I want to reiterate – those people at significant risk or who have a significant need will still get the help they need despite the need for us to make savings to bring our budget back in line.”

A spokesperson from the UNISON Fife Health Branch said the local union has “not been part of the decision-making process” nor does it support the £21 million package of cuts and reductions.

A spokesperson for the branch said: “Overall, this looks more like a setback than a step forward.

“Morale is at an all-time low amongst HSCP staff, and we can’t imagine anyone is feeling positive about the uncertainty and stress this situation brings.”

They added, “UNISON hasn’t been part of the decision-making process that led to this announcement, and we are not supportive of it. We don’t even know how many staff members will be affected and what support, if any, will be provided during this difficult transition.”

The recovery plan outlines three in-year savings measures that will be in place until the end of March 2025.

The first will temporarily move staff around within the organisation in an effort to reduce the Partnership’s £18m annual agency and bank staff bill. According to the HSCP, this “may mean other, less critical functions will be reduced in the short term”.

The second major cut will kickstart a review of Fife’s respite provision for carers. Respite care is available to give carers a break for a short period of time.

Currently, the IJB policy allows eligible carers six weeks of respite care per year. Under the latest cuts, that provision will be reduced to three weeks.

Lastly, the recovery plan will raise the threshold for accessing social work services in an effort to save £5 million. The Partnership said this means funding for some packages of care will be reduced.

“Cuts to respite care are particularly disheartening. They directly affect the support our members provide,” the spokesperson from Fife’s UNISON branch said.

“Increasing social work thresholds [also] puts more pressure on an already stretched workforce. This will compromise the quality of care.”

They added: “The temporary staff ‘remobilisation’ feels like a half-hearted solution that fails to address the underlying issues.”