Health board faces five per cent cuts

NHS SHETLAND is looking for savings of £7 million over the next four years, representing a five per cent cut in the health board’s overall budget.

Services may have to be reduced and salary increases will be held back as the board struggles to save almost £1.7 million in the coming year and a further £2 million in 2012/13.

Chief executive Ralph Roberts said he was confident the board could meet the target they had been set by the Scottish government, but admitted it placed the organisation in a very difficult position.

Board member Keith Massey suggested that they could run a deficit and tell the government they could not manage on the available funds, but the suggestion was rejected by the rest of the board.