£4 MILLION COST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY ARGYLL & BUTE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARTNERSHIP

Argyll & Bute Community Health Partnership (CHP), one of five Operational Units within NHS Highland, is treating more patients, cutting waiting times and providing better and faster access to diagnostic and treatment services.

At the same time the CHP has also been working on delivering NHS Highland’s strategic vision of Quality Care to every person every day through the three key aims of:

Better Health - improving the health of the population

Better Care - enhancing the experience of care

Better Value - controlling the per capita cost of care

As well as delivering on these key strategic aims it is also incumbent on the CHP to ensure that it remains within its budget and is able to respond to emerging pressures and responsibilities.

As part of the budget setting process for this financial year the CHP therefore needs to implement a £4 million cost improvement programme while at the same time continuing to provide safe and effective health services.

Senior managers and clinical leaders are therefore reviewing a range of options where these cost improvements can be made without having a negative impact on front line services. These areas include:

Maximising effective use of staff and reducing management costs

Better energy efficiency

Reducing travel and other associated costs

The CHP is also investigating a range of other service redesign options in localities where it can improve efficiency and maximise service delivery to local communities. These options are:

Making the best use of beds throughout the CHP through preventing unnecessary admissions to hospital, reducing length of stay and therefore increasing occupancy levels.

Redesigning and streamlining surgical services at Lorn & Islands Hospital through promoting the use of day surgery

Continuing with the review of services on the Isle of Bute including both community and hospital services. This includes the Rothesay Victoria Hospital estate and associated infrastructure


Derek Leslie, General Manager of Argyll & Bute Community Health Partnership, said:

“Argyll & Bute Community Health Partnership is continuing to deliver local health services for our local communities and our patients are experiencing shorter waiting times and faster access to a wide range of treatments. We are also working with colleagues across NHS Highland to deliver on the strategic aims of Better Health, Better Care and Better Value.

“As an organisation we also have to ensure that we remain within our budget while still being able to respond to emerging pressures and responsibilities. This means that in the current financial year we have to implement a £4 million cost improvement programme to meet service pressures.

“Senior managers and clinical leaders have therefore been tasked with reviewing a number of options where cost improvements could be made without impacting negatively on front line services. These include maximising effective use of staff, reducing management costs, better energy efficiency and reducing travel and other associated costs.

“The CHP is also continually reviewing how we design and deliver local health services for communities across Argyll and Bute and we are investigating options in our localities where we can improve efficiency and optimise service delivery without affecting frontline services to patients.

“These include making the best use of beds throughout the CHP by preventing unnecessary admission to hospital and redesigning and streamlining surgical services at Lorn & Islands Hospital in Oban through promoting the use of day surgery.

“In Rothesay we will be reviewing the estate and associated infrastructure at Rothesay Victoria Hospital to ensure we continue to provide a safe environment for patients and staff.
“As part of the overall process of delivering our financial strategy I felt it was important that as an organisation we clearly demonstrated that we were open and transparent and this was one of the main reasons behind issuing the press statement today.

“Finally, I would like to reassure the public that safe, sustainable and effective services to our patients will always be our priority and we are committed to ensuring that all communities across Argyll and Bute will continue to have access to services that reflect our remote and rural circumstances. I would also like to emphasise that as the CHP moves forward with these options we will be engaging fully with the public, patients, local communities and all other interested parties before any final decisions are made.”