NHS Highland to accelerate care model changes

NHS Highland has announced that its current approach to its model of care is not sustainable and must change urgently to meet savings targets.

During a board meeting, staff heard that an ‘unprecedented’ reduction in costs of about £100 million would be needed over the next three years.

Part of changes include a plans to shift more resources to caring for people in their communities rather than in hospital.

NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead, commented: “More of the same’ is no longer an option.  While it is true that we have had uplift in our funding in this and previous years, our increasing costs and demands mean that we will need to significantly reshape the way that we deliver services. We have already started this, and I do believe we are well placed to now radically transform our services.

“Our current complex, expensive and often institutional based models of care can no longer deliver the timely high quality of care that we all rightly aspire to provide. Therefore, it is clear that we will need to change, and change quickly to meet the needs of our ageing population.”

NHS Highland employee director and UNISON representative, Adam Palmer, said: “We are all becoming aware of the fact that the future is increasingly challenging for NHS Highland. Not only is there is a financial gap to bridge - both as this financial year closes and for next year - but the board also has to deal with the pressing problem of changing demographics in our area and an ageing workforce.”