Union claims West Lothian fund set up to manage cuts could be used to save jobs

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A £1.5m fund set aside to manage budget cuts in health care provision in West Lothian could be better spent keeping staff in jobs, unions have said.A union rep told health officials at the Integration Joint Board this week that his members would ask: "How can they spend £1.5m on a transformation fund but can't spend £1.5m to keep us in our jobs?"The Board is responsible for commissioning adult health and social care services and overseeing the delivery of these services and is provided with funding by West Lothian Council and NHS Lothian to do so.Last month Board members agreed to a package of cuts over the next three years as part of a budget revenue plan.

This will see a wide ranging review of the way social care services are delivered in care homes and throughout the care at home services.In a report to the Board this month Sharon Houston, Interim Head of Strategic Planning and Performance said: "The Board agreed to establish a Transformation Fund of £1.5 million from uncommitted reserves.

The aim of this fund is to provide scope to invest in transformative service delivery projects and also to support one off costs to support the delivery of the three year budget plan and associated budget savings."She described the fund as a "bridge" to smooth the transformation of services, adding that more detailed proposals would be brought to the next neeting of the Board on 27 June."Budget savings will be complex and will be monitored closely," she promised.Stevie Dunn, a Unison branch secretary asked: "What exactly do you envisage the fund being used for.

Would that be used for voluntary redundancies?."He added it raised a question for union members facing difficult times: "Why are they spending £1.5m to get us out of our