IJB Planning and Strategies

The IJB budget for 2024-25 IJB was approved on Tuesday 23 April 2024; the agenda and reports for this can be found on COINS, and a recording of the meeting is available on our webcast page.

The IJB noted that during 2024-25 there would need to be significant cost reductions to ensure the budget is sustainable.

At this meeting the IJB:

• Approved the IJB budget for 2024/25, which included the proposed use of Scottish Government Additionality funding, outline savings and cost reduction workstreams.
• Noted that this budget was approved subject to NHS Shetland (NHSS) Board approval of the delegated budget at its meeting in June 2024. The Shetland Islands Council (SIC) delegated budget was approved by the Council on 27 March 2024.
• Noted that the balanced budget was reliant on the delivery of £0.610m savings during the year and that significant cost reductions were necessary during 2024-25 as the current budget was based on substantive staffing costs and does not cover the excess cost of temporary workers; and
• Noted the grant funding of £1.986m approved by Shetland Charitable Trust to support the 2024/25 IJB budget.

 There have been recent recruitment successes, but even if all vacancies were filled with substantive staff, the IJB would still need to reduce cost of services.

• Discussed the recent successes in recruitment (including GPs), as well as the challenges of recruitment and the financial impact.
• Acknowledged that this is a challenging time, and there are changes in demographics as well as changes or increase in demand for Health and Care services, and the impact of staff vacancies/recruitment challenges.
• Agreed to make progress on the cost reductions, there are various savings and cost reduction plans to be developed, and these will have consultation processes in place, this will enable information to be gathered to ensure the detail is developed for each. Information on progress of this will be provided through IJB reports during the year.
• Confirmed they would implement additional scrutiny over the year to track the budgets and savings, and will review against IJB directions, to ensure Directions are achievable. 

 IJB Budget 2024/25

[1] The NHSS service budgets represents NHSS core baseline funding from the Scottish Government.  The ‘Anticipated Funding Allocations’ are further (IJB) allocations that NHSS expects to receive during the 2023/24 financial year. When these are received they will be added to the relevant service budgets accordingly.