Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership Integration Joint Board (IJB) have set out their budget proposals for the year ahead.
While the 2021/22 financial position is described as “challenging”, the partnership is receiving additional specific investment for primary care, mental health, carers and to ensure payment of the living wage for all adult social care workers.
Proposals for the year ahead will see almost £83 million spent on adult social care, and a further £172m spent on a range of hospital and community-based healthcare services.
The Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership have had to make savings of £2.6 million in order to set a balanced budget of £254.5m.
Chair of the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership Integration Joint Board Councillor Ken Lynn said: “My immediate priority remains to support the most vulnerable people in the city.
“The impact of the current coronavirus pandemic presents significant challenges for the year ahead and this budget shows that.”
In addition to setting out the budget for the year ahead the Partnership have also laid out their five-year financial framework.
The framework lays out a number of significant financial challenges for the partnership and indicates the need to change and transform services to balance the budget.
Over the next five years the partnership will need to balance demand and improve health and social care outcomes for Dundee citizens while delivering a balanced budget.
In order to do this the partnership will prioritise investment in early intervention and prevention, continue to develop the use of technology to enhance direct service user and patient contact, and ensure community-based services are as efficient and effective as possible.
Councillor Lynn added “We will need to change the way services are delivered to ensure positive outcomes for people of Dundee.
“Our transformation is underway and we are already seeing encouraging results from a number of projects.
“I’m under no illusions that the next five years will be particularly challenging for the partnership, and we will continue to work with both the city council and NHS Tayside.
“The health and social care partnership will be at heart of the city’s recovery. We know that more people will need supported to live independent lives in the community and our efforts will see us shift the balance of care from bed-based models.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank staff across the partnership who have continued to go above and beyond to over the course of this pandemic.
“Over the past year the partnership has been delivering vaccines to housebound citizens, supporting the care home sector in the city, and providing care at home for people.”
The Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership will discuss budget proposals on Friday (March 26).