Lothian will need to make savings of £51.7m this year

hospitalThe Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is the agship of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Image: Jane Barlow/PA)

The huge hole in hospital budgets over the next 12 months comes despite SNP finance secretary Derek Mackay using a Treasury windfall to give the NHS a five per cent funding boost. Last night, doctors’ leaders warned that cash shortages were “affecting the quality and safety of care” as health bosses plot their finances for the year ahead. An analysis of the draft budgets from the 11 mainland health boards shows that at least £335m will have to be slashed from frontline spending.

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The largest deficit is at Greater Glasgow and Clyde where a shortfall of £74.8m was outlined to board members earlier this month. 

These savings will have to be made by “transformational change”, four per cent “efficiency savings” across all departments and “non-recurring” income such as land sales and one-off grants. 

Similar sums will have to be found in the two subsequent years, and finance director Mark White warned the health board’s budget “will not be sustainable” in the medium term without tough action. 

He added: “This will involve cultural change, difficult decisions, greater collegiate working... and embracing the Regional agenda.” 

This suggests there will be further moves towards three regional health boards to serve the west, north and east of Scotland. 

Lothian will need to make savings of £51.7m this year, and the board warned there was a “high risk” to tackling delayed discharges, winter costs, acute medicines, backdated pay claims, capital programmes, waiting times and mental health.

derekScottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay (Image: Ken Jack/Getty Images)

Ayrshire and Arran has a shortfall of £41.8m, although, after cost-cutting and other savings, the board will reduce its “planned deficit” to £14.7m. 

Even so, it warns:

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