Allocation of healthcare funding

Further investment of more than £320 million in Scotland’s health boards has been confirmed by Health Secretary Shona Robison.

Territorial boards will receive £186 million, providing an above-inflation average uplift of 2.1%. This funding will ensure that all Boards are within 1% of parity under the NHS funding formula, known as NRAC.

In addition to the Territorial Board funding, Ms Robison has confirmed that £128 million will be invested in supporting delivery of service reform and improvement. This will help the health service to continue to shape services so the NHS can meet the challenges of an ageing population.

Special boards will receive uplifts of £13 million, taking the total additional investment in NHS boards to £327 million.

The uplift for territorial boards includes an additional £107 million of NHS investment in social care. Among other things this will help to deliver the commitment to pay all care workers the living wage.

On top of this resource funding, the Scottish Government will continue to progress the £200 million commitment to expand the Golden Jubilee Hospital and create five elective care centres. There will be ongoing investment to maintain the NHS estate and replace and update medical equipment and vehicles.

Other major on-going capital projects include the £274 million new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, the £230 million Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital and the £145 million Baird Family hospital and ANCHOR centre in Aberdeen.

Ms Robison said:

“Next year we will commit an additional £327 million to our Health Boards, delivering £176 million more than inflation in the coming year. This clearly reflects our commitment to protect the NHS with record levels of investment, and is an important step towards achieving our commitment to increase the frontline NHS budget by almost £2 billion by the end of this parliament.

“To provide the NHS that people need we must take the twin approach of investment and reform. That is why it’s important that we are investing £128 million to help territorial boards to deliver service improvements and reform. We recognise that our growing elderly population means that we need to shift the focus of care towards the community, and that is what we’ll continue to do.

“Over the coming months we will continue to work with all boards to develop financial plans for this year and beyond. Together we will ensure that this investment delivers better care, better services and better value.”

Background:

Territorial boards receiving additional funding towards NRAC parity are: Ayrshire and Arran, Fife, Forth Valley, Grampian, Highland, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Shetland and Tayside.