Time to integrate health and social care - Phil Doggart

Conservative councillor Phil Doggart

We Conservatives did make one significant proposal not picked up by other parties – namely social care spending.

My colleague, Max Mitchell ably demonstrated in his Budget speech the magnitude of the demographic timebomb facing Edinburgh. I was clear in preparing my Budget motion it was time to suggest solutions to defuse the problem.

Officers’ proposals included spending an additional £13m, or a 4 per cent increase in Council Tax, to sort out the deficit in funding that has existed since the EIJB commenced.

New EIJB Chief Officer Christine Laverty starts her role today

I am sceptical that handing over cash produces any sort of improvement in service, but social care needs fixed.

Social care received nothing in the SNP/Green/Liberal Democrat Holyrood budget, so it is time for NHS Lothian to support proper integration of health and social care.

As the new chief officer takes up her post today, I can only wish her success as she takes on what has been a poisoned chalice for her many predecessors. But will NHS Lothian deliver?

The Conservatives went further. We allocated additional funding to support self-directed support - to allow individuals to request services that best help them. We also set out a challenge to NHS Lothian. We set aside capital funding for an innovation fund, but only if NHS Lothian was willing to match it. The gauntlet has been thrown down - I hope the new NHS Lothian leadership picks it up.

I mentioned in my Budget speech that good ideas in the Conservative motion have traditionally been included the following year.

Last year we proposed zero-based budgeting - determining what it actually costs to do something rather than add something on from last year’s cost. This year it was in the officers’ report.

This year no one was willing to support the end of the ridiculous no compulsory redundancy policy - next year, perhaps?