
NHS Grampian submits documents identifying £23m worth of savings
The health board has been trying to form a recovery plan after it was revealed it had been given a loan of £67m from the Scottish Government to balance the books last year.
In April, NHS Grampian said it had a projected overspend this year of around £68m
It said it would have a plan in place by June 7 to reduce that amount by £23m, so that its deficit was not more than £45m.
On Thursday, the health board confirmed to STV News that it has submitted documents to the Scottish Government, two days ahead of time.
The health board has been warning of its growing financial difficulties for some time.
The Scottish Government has recently increased its scrutiny over the health board, escalating NHS Grampian to stage four out of five on NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework.
The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NHS Scotland in fresh secrecy row after officials tried to withhold details about trans tribunal
NHS Scotland in fresh secrecy row after officials tried to withhold details about trans tribunal A secrecy row around NHS Scotland's handling of the Sandie Peggie case deepened last night as internal documents showed that spin doctors tried to water down what information could be released to the public. Emails reveal that PR bosses wanted to withhold details in response to freedom of information (FOI) requests about the landmark 'single-sex spaces' tribunal. They were reprimanded by an in-house lawyer who had to remind the health service of its legal duties. It is the latest twist in a transparency battle between the Press, NHS Fife and NHS Scotland over how much the tribunal is costing the taxpayer. The revelations also draw Scottish ministers closer to the secrecy scandal, given the chief executive of NHS Scotland, Caroline Lamb, is part of John Swinney's government. Mrs Peggie, 50, was suspended for challenging the presence of male-born Dr Beth Upton in the female changing rooms at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital. Scottish Tory equalities spokeswoman Tess White said: 'This is another example of NHS Scotland's addiction to secrecy. Transgender medic Dr Beth Upton is at the centre of a 'single-sex spaces' employment tribunal NHS spin doctors wanted to change FOI responses to align with their media messaging 'NHS Fife, backed by NHS Scotland, shamefully tried to manipulate FOI responses so they could cover up their dire handling of the Sandie Peggie case. Those at the top of the board need to go, but [Health Secretary] Neil Gray is too weak to sack them. SNP ministers must order NHS Fife to be open and transparent.' Scotland's Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, also said the revelations could 'well be a cause for concern'. He added: 'It's vital that every freedom of information request is responded to properly and in full compliance with FOI law. 'It is clear that, in this case, some thought was given to the alignment of FOI responses with media lines. This could well be a cause for concern – comms messaging should align with FOI responses, not the other way round.' NHS Scotland was asked under FOI to reveal how much it is costing the taxpayer to defend the health board and Dr Upton against Mrs Peggie's claims. Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2000, public bodies have a statutory duty to release information, barring a few exceptions. Sandie Peggie was suspended from NHS Fife amid a single-sex space row However, emails reveal that NHS Scotland wanted to massage responses to fit with its media 'messaging'. A communications official wrote on June 12 that they 'would like to align our messaging a bit more with the media lines issued', adding: 'So I am just going to take a look at tightening up some of the response in the morning, so will send updated version over.' That prompted in-house solicitor Stefano Rinaldi to write on June 24: 'It is important to remember this is a legal response in the sense it requires to comply with the statutatory requirements.' Carolyn Low, director of NHS National Services Scotland, said it 'remains committed to the principles of transparency, accountability and public access to information while ensuring that responses are clear, responsible and contextually appropriate.'


Scotsman
14 hours ago
- Scotsman
Forth Valley mortician who found job during grief says it is her 'true calling'
Scotland's Health Awards 2025 close for nominations on Sunday. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An NHS Forth Valley mortician has been recognised for her 'passion' and 'dedication' to the role. Sammy Fleming, 25, has been nominated for the Integrated Care award at Scotland's Health Awards 2025, hosted by The Scotsman in partnership with Scottish Government. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She began studying mental health nursing at The University of Stirling. However, after the loss of her father and subsequent family challenges, she had to pause her studies. During this time, Ms Fleming 'became resolute' in her desire to support others experiencing similar grief. This led her to apply for a position at the Forth Valley Hospital mortuary - which she believes is her 'true calling'. Sammy Fleming has been nominated for the Integrated Health award. | Supplied Her mum, who nominated Sammy, said: 'Sammy is a caring and diligent professional who plays a vital role in honouring the deceased and assisting grieving families Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Since joining the mortuary, Sammy has found what she believes is her true calling. Despite the inherent difficulties of the role, she approaches her work with passion and dedication. 'She is deeply committed to assisting families through their most challenging moments, ensuring dignity and respect for those who have no family to advocate for them.' Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here 'At just 25 years old, Sammy demonstrates remarkable strength and empathy in a role that many would find unimaginable,' she added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Her colleagues at the hospital share my admiration for her exceptional work. 'She has excelled in providing comfort and support to individuals and families during times of profound loss, and I wholeheartedly believe she deserves this recognition for her outstanding contributions.' Nominations are open for Scotland's Health Awards 2025. | NationalWorld The Integrated Care award is for an individual, a group or a team who provide vital, high quality, co-ordinated health and social care and support that helps people in Scotland in a way that is person-centred, safe and effective. This award aims to recognise care and support that has been planned around the needs and expectations of the person, their carer(s) and family to achieve improved outcomes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Health award nominations close on Sunday, August 17 Other award categories include care for mental health, as well as awards for the doctor, nurse, top team, support worker, young achiever, volunteer, midwife and leader of the year. The Scotsman spoke to the health secretary as nominations officially opened for 2025 to hear just how important Scotland's Health Awards are. Caroline Lamb, chief executive of NHS Scotland and director-general health and social care, and Health Secretary Neil Gray at the launch of The Scotsman Health Awards 2025, which will be held in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange in November. | Lisa Ferguson 'I'm delighted to announce the launch of Scotland's Health Awards 2025,' Mr Gray said. 'These awards offer the opportunity to not only acknowledge all of our fantastic colleagues who work tirelessly day in, day out across our health and care services, they give us the chance to show what their extraordinary achievements mean to each and every individual in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've witnessed first-hand the incredible work that goes on across our health and care settings. That's why I'm so pleased that these awards recognise frontline health and social care workers and also celebrate those who work so hard in support roles to ensure our services achieve the highest quality of care and patient experience.' Nominations are now open across 17 award categories, which all aim to recognise frontline health and social care workers and celebrate those who work hard behind the scenes to make sure patients across the country get the highest level of care possible.


The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
6% of lung cancer patients died within 30 days of treatment
The Scottish Conservatives have warned SNP ministers to 'get a grip' of the cancer crisis or risk more lives being lost. Public Health Scotland published its annual report on the number of patients who died within a month of starting their last cycle of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT). The Scottish Government does not currently have statutory targets set for SACT 30-day mortality. However, the highest reported cancer mortality within 30 days of starting treatment is lung and chest at 5.8%, according to the report. Out of the 2,496 people who began treatment for lung and chest cancer last year, 144 people died within the month of treatment. Dr Sandesh Gulhane, a GP and health spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said more work must be done to discover the cancer early. Read more: SACT drugs include cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapies and immunotherapy. The deaths can be directly due to the treatment received, but deaths unrelated to treatment are also included in the statistics. These deaths could be due to disease progression, co-morbidities or any other unrelated cause. At the start of each treatment cycle, a prescriber assesses the patient to determine whether the treatment is suitable and safe. A decision to treat reflects the prescriber's belief that the treatment is likely to benefit the patient and outweigh any harmful side effects, including irreversible toxicity and the patient dying. The lowest 30-day mortality was for SACT treatment was breast cancer at 2%, with 95 out of 4,707 patients dying. However, 1.7% of the 460 patients treated for curable lung and chest cancer died within 30 days of their last treatment, compared to 6.6% of the 2,067 patients treated for non-curable diagnoses. At NHS Ayrshire and Arran, the highest 30-day mortality was 8.6%, where 13 patients died out of 152 patients. Dr Gulhane told The Herald: 'These harrowing statistics must be an urgent wake-up call for the SNP. 'Successive SNP health secretaries have failed to get a grip of Scotland's cancer care crisis and lives are being lost as a result. Read more: 'Everyone knows how crucial early diagnosis and treatment is when tackling an aggressive form of the disease such as lung cancer, so it is even more devastating that lives are being lost within a month of starting treatment. 'We cannot keep letting more and more families across Scotland experience the loss of loved ones in this way. 'The SNP have failed to meet their cancer waiting time targets for well over a decade now, but they still have no plan to address this ticking timebomb. 'Neil Gray should show common sense and prioritise early detection programs, promote healthy lifestyles and guarantee cancer services will have the resources they need to support patients.' It comes as the Scottish Government were last month urged by the Scottish Liberal Democrats to roll out a lung cancer screening programme to save thousands of lives. The programme was first recommended three years ago by the UK National Screening Committee, with target screening suggested for those aged 55 to 75 who currently smoke or used to. Cancer Research UK suggested around 4,000 cancer suffers could be diagnosed earlier with the scheme, saving at least 2,000 lives. Screening is already up and running in England and there are similar plans being developed in Wales, however the Scottish Government does not currently plan to introduce a programme. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to improve cancer survival, and we know earlier diagnosis is crucial. That is why we have already committed to a lung screening pilot which will initially concentrate on some of the most deprived areas in Scotland, as the first step to a national rollout. 'We have published an optimal diagnostic pathway for lung cancer, supported by almost £3.5 million, setting ambitious timeframes for diagnosis and treatment. 'Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers being diagnosed by our Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services, which are finding cancer faster, evaluation shows it can reduce the time from referral to diagnosis for patients to a median wait of 14 days.'