Another health board budget squeeze

NHS Shetland is confident it can meet this year’s saving target of £1.4 million even though it still needs to find around £550,000 in savings.

The health board’s finance director Nick Kenton said the public should not feel the impact of the savings, but some vacant staff posts will have to remain unfilled for longer to help meet the target.

He also warned the public spending forecast means a similar saving will be required next year, which might have a more direct impact on services.

Mr Kenton said there was a £344,000 shortfall in this year’s savings target and the board was on line to spend £208,000 more than it had budgeted for in certain areas.

However alternative savings of £400,000 had already been identified and he was confident the rest of the funding gap could be filled.

“We are experiencing financial pressures this year and we are taking measures to ensure that we still break even in the current financial year, but we know that the situation is likely to get tougher in the coming year,” he said.

The health board has embarked on a major round of community consultation on its new clinical strategy, to find ways of providing the health service that Shetland wants within a tighter budget.