Social work team at Edinburgh's Sick Kids hospital saved despite waiting list warnings
Councillors were not convinced by officer’s recommendations that the team was not necessary
A social work team at Edinburgh’s Sick Kids hospital has been saved from closure despite warnings from council officers that retaining it will increase care waiting lists.
Councillors voted 7-4 on Tuesday to maintain a service with reduced staffing at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP).
The team was at risk of being dissolved with its staff distributed among other children’s services. It historically supported sick and disabled children, and pregnant women experiencing homelessness.
Councillors on the Education, Children and Families Committee were presented with options for the future of the team. Choices ranged from dissolving the team, reinstating full staffing for the team, or green-lighting a partially-staffed service. A vote carried 7-4 for the final option.
Extensive council monitoring indicated the team was underused, following changes to how Edinburgh social services operate.
Just 15 per cent of carers surveyed said they felt the team being based within RHCYP was “beneficial to their child’s care plan and support” and the team only received one referral requiring social work intervention since January 2026.
A recent report said there is “limited evidence” supporting the continuation of a social work service at the hospital. Officers also hoped dissolving the team – which now has about four social workers – would help staff other services, open held vacancies, and reduce months-long long wait times for social care.
A council officer said: “There is a concern that if we put the social work team back in the hospital, [waitlists will] go from a five month waiting list for families back to an eight to nine-month waiting list”.
He said doing so would have a “direct impact on children and families”.
But some councillors feared axing the team would remove support to vulnerable families. They referenced a letter sent by NHS Lothian partners to the Chief Social Worker in September 2025, raising concerns about losing the physical presence of social workers in the hospital.
Labour’s James Dalgleish, who convenes the committee, said: “There needs to be consistent, clear social work presence at the hospital. That is an important part in prevention.”
However he acknowledged that fully staffing the team could have a “negative impact on other services under pressure,” advocating instead for a reduced service.
SNP councillor Euan Hyslop added: “I still don’t think it’s really been proven the best way forward is to completely remove the team and all social work presence at the hospital.”
The councillor worried some families would “fall through the net” without on-site support.
He also questioned whether eliminating the hospital-based team would mitigate social work staffing issues, adding: “The fact we have a small team at the hospital doesn’t put other teams at risk, there are actually lots of [other] challenges facing recruitment.”
An officer replied that the move was not a “silver bullet” and reinstating the previous full team of 12 to 15 social workers could potentially be negative when “balancing effectiveness”.
Other councillors questioned why the officers’ report was being met with scepticism.
Cllr Lewis Younie, a Lib Dem, retorted: “It is disappointing that we cannot look at this as an operational necessity to deliver on something that every party in Scottish politics cares about – care waiting times. I find it incomprehensible that we are choosing this hill to die on in this committee.”
Conservative councillor Christopher Cowdy said: “I’m disappointed today because officers have come with a well-produced report with very clear recommendations supported by leadership and said both times if we don’t follow it, people will suffer – children and vulnerable adults will suffer.”
Seven councillors carried a motion to retain the hospital-based social work team.
A decision read “the needs of children, young people and families would be better served by a dedicated social work team based within the RHCYP”.
However it added that if referrals remained low the committee will request a new report exploring alternative support models.