Latest news with #NHSScotland
STV News
5 hours ago
- Health
- STV News
NHS Grampian to ditch free nappies and cut appointments in bid to save £23m
NHS Grampian has announced plans to ditch free nappies for newborns and cut the number of public holiday appointments in a bid to save £23m. However the health board has warned the financial recovery plan will leave it 'no flexibility' to any increased costs this year. The health board submitted a plan to the Scottish Government at the end of May which identified £23m of savings. NHS Grampian previously warned it expected an overspend of around £68m this year. However, it was told by the Scottish Government that it could not exceed a deficit of £45m for this financial year. The health board was told to produce a plan to find the savings required by June 7. Now, in papers to go before the board on Thursday, it has warned the savings will mean the health board will struggle if other costs increase. The papers say: 'There are a number of risks associated with the financial recovery plan for 2025/26 which would leave NHS Grampian with no flexibility to manage any in year cost pressures that arise.' The Scottish Government previously increased oversight of NHS Grampian, increasing it to stage four out of five of NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework. The Scottish Government has already loaned NHS Grampian around £90m to help it break-even in recent years. NHS Grampian's overspend last year was around £65m, the largest in value terms of any health board in the country, and fifth in percentage terms. Government officials previously said they were 'concerned' about its financial position. The proposed savings include cutting some appointments and services on public holidays, changing the type of vascular stent used for some patients and the ending of providing disposable nappies to 'well babies' born at maternity units. The health board also said its financial situation had been improving, allowing it to find additional money, including through the budgets of Integrated Joint Boards. NHS Grampian though says it can't rule out some patients will be impacted by the savings. In the papers, it says: 'However, it should be noted that mitigations are not possible is all cases and a number of patient groups/people with protected characteristics would be directly affected by the proposed savings.' A so-called 'external diagnostic review' is also being carried out at the health board by the accounting firm KPMG. The review is to identify if further savings can be found and is expected to be complete by the end of June. A Scottish Government spokesperson previously said: 'The Scottish Government continues to support NHS Grampian Board to develop a Financial Recovery Plan in line with the timeframe agreed.' 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
STV News
a day ago
- Health
- STV News
Alzheimer's research suffers 'devastating blow' after new drug rejected by NHS
A woman who has Alzheimer's disease has said the progression of research has suffered a 'devastating blow' after a new drug was rejected for use by NHS Scotland. Donanemab delays the onset of dementia and works by targeting a cause of the disease, rather than just treating its symptoms. But the Scottish Medicines Consortium says there isn't enough evidence to prove how well it works. Recently retired Rynagh has lived an enviable life, growing up in Ireland, moving to the US, and attending New York University. Coming to Scotland, she expected to live out the rest of her life in peaceful retirement. Instead, she found out she had dementia. She's now thrown into finding a cure for Alzheimer's – and says the rejection of this drug is a massive blow. 'What would it take to approve a drug for dementia?', she said. 'Because it seems to be a lost in space for people. There aren't annual check-ups or anything like there are with other diseases. So there's no record of decline, which is unusual when you think about how progress is made with other diseases over time. 'Think about polio, leprosy, and cancer. They were known many years ago, but we don't talk about them because of the needs and the cost. 'And I understand that cost is a factor, but the burden on society, even in comparison to those other diseases, is tremendous. Absolutely. And only tremendous. It's not just the individual, it's the community, it's the family. 'It's the cost to the next generation for what they lose out by having to provide that care and not being able to support their own families, immediate families, in the way that they will.' Donanemab works when antibodies are given by infusion into a vein in the arm – they then bind with amyloids in the brain, a protein that builds up in Alzheimer's patients, and leads to cognitive decline. Those antibodies trigger immune cells, which clear the amyloid – and slow down the alzheimer's process. The Scottish Medicines Consortium rejected donanemab for use on the NHS as it said there wasn't 'enough evidence of how well it works.' Meanwhile manufacturer Lilly claims the decision 'does not consider … the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness' of the drug. It's left campaigners worried about the future of dementia research. Henry Simmons, chief executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said: 'The process that all drugs go through at present at the both the NHS in Scotland and England is a reasonable process however, we don't think it is a reasonable way to tackle the issues we face in terms of the size and scale of dementia, and what we are calling for is a rethink on that.' There's hope the SMC will reconsider the drug, but in the meantime, Rynagh hopes people living with dementia don't give up – and that awareness of the illness continues to grow. 'Well, when it comes down to it, it is the public', she added. 'And if the public doesn't have the awareness, they won't push. 'You know, like 66% is that about two thirds of people with dementia are women. Women typically are the caregivers, but then they need the care and it becomes this cycle and it is increasing instead of decreasing. 'And also with the population pyramid is kind of changing as well. We know that that the elderly population is getting bigger and that's it's a disaster that you should be able to see. 'It's not that you're seeing one seventh of the iceberg. We're now coming to the point where it's so far above the water, it should be that you can go around us and go through it and disperse it, but are not even talking about it at the level that we need to be talking about it.' 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
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NHS Grampian submits plan to tackle £45m deficit
NHS Grampian has submitted a recovery plan to the Scottish government in a bid to ease its financial crisis. The health board said in April a plan was needed to reduce a £45m deficit forecast for next year. Since then, NHS Grampian has been escalated to stage four out of five on NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework. The stage warns of "significant risks" to a health board's delivery, quality, financial performance or safety. More stories from North East Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Listen to news from North East Scotland on BBC Sounds The Scottish government has loaned NHS Grampian £90m over the last two years. The health board has confirmed it had provided documentation and continued to liaise with the Scottish government. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament last week, Health Secretary Neil Gray said NHS Grampian's deficit for the 2024-25 financial year was about £65m. He said was the largest of any health board over that time period. Accounting firm KPMG has started what is called a "whole system diagnostic" to help inform a package of support for NHS Grampian. It is due to finish that work by the end of this month. The Scottish government said it continued to support NHS Grampian's board to develop a financial recovery plan in line with the timeframe agreed. Ministers step up scrutiny of NHS Grampian over spending concerns NHS Grampian given £67m Scottish government loan
STV News
5 days ago
- Health
- STV News
NHS Grampian submits documents identifying £23m worth of savings
NHS Grampian has said it has submitted documents ahead of a deadline in which it was to identify £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
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Midlothian battery storage site next to school approved
Midlothian councillors urged the Scottish Government's Energy Consent Unit to consider the fact that the new Battery Energy Storage System, known as BESS, would be so close to the Dalkeith campus, which has around 2500 children and young people in its roll. But a meeting of the council's planning committee next week will hear that the BESS has been approved with no mention of fire risks or the proximity of the school in the Minister's decision. A report to councillors says: 'The Ministers are satisfied that landscape and visual impacts, impacts on traffic, impacts from noise, coal mining legacy issues, decommissioning, and pollution prevention can all be mitigated via the use of conditions. READ MORE: Four men jailed over 'egregious' £6.5 million NHS Scotland contract fraud 'The determination letter does not make any comment on fire risk or the safety of the schools campus.' Ministers determined the benefits of the new site would be vital to meeting net zero targets They said: 'Energy storage such as the proposed development provides will be vital in that context to help maintain the balance between supply and demand, to ensuring security of supply, and to reducing the curtailment of renewable generators under grid constraints which would otherwise result in a loss of valuable renewable generation. 'Secure and stable energy supply is a fundamental need of a prosperous economy. As well as the potential economic benefit to local and national businesses during construction, the proposed development would provide further benefit to the economy through its contribution to underpinning energy security and flexibility.' Midlothian councillors wrote to the Energy Consent Unit, which is responsible for decisions about BESS applications, to raise their concern about it being placed on a 12-hectare field behind the school campus, which includes Dalkeith and St Davids High Schools as well as Saltersgate School and Woodburn Primary School. Councillor Ellen Scott, SNP administration education spokesperson, told a meeting of the planning committee in December that there had been an explosion and major fire in Merseyside four years ago at a battery storage unit where it was reported the temperature on the site rose to 40 degrees Celsius within two minutes. She said: 'This site is just 70 metres from the edge of the school's campus where 2500 of our young people, some very young at three years old and some with severe complex needs, are going to be.' Her comments were supported by Councillor Dianne Alexander, who also said the site was over a 'coal seam and gas pipe'. She said: 'I just think this is too dangerous for us to allow.' The proposals for the site include a BESS with a capacity of 200 megawatts with 168 storage containers spread across four compounds. Thecontainers will be used to house Lithium-ion batteries and the compounds will be hard surfaced and enclosed with three metre high fencing. The report to councillors next week says: 'The Scottish Ministers in making their determination on the application, have balanced all relevant considerations, decided what weight is to be given to each and reached a view as to where the balance of benefit lies. 'On balance, it is considered that the impacts of the proposed development are acceptable in the context of its benefits, and that the development is supported by relevant planning and energy policies.'
