A team of finance experts recruited for an undisclosed sum by cash-strapped NHS Highland have found almost £20million in savings.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was brought in for six months earlier this year to help tackle the beleaguered health authority’s “significant financial challenge”.
Earlier this year, chief executive Iain Stewart announced a “highly experienced” support team would be employed to “return the organisation to financial balance”.
In a report to be presented to the health board next week, he stated: “NHS Highland has made significant progress from a near standing start in March 2019 to having £19.8m of in-year fully developed and signed off schemes with robust project documentation.”
An NHS Highland spokesman said yesterday: “The main savings themes which contribute to the £20m of forecast savings were very much identified by a partnership between PwC and NHS Highland staff.”
The spokesman described the themes as efficient prescribing, reductions in cost of health supplies through procurement, reducing the cost of medical agency staffing and enhanced operational expenditure controls.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP David Stewart said: “Austerity has dealt a heavy blow to the health service in the Highlands and Islands and throughout Scotland demanding cuts to services and training places and giving boards such as NHS Highland a headache as to where the axe will fall.
“The health authority has for years struggled to balance the books, previously receiving brokerage – loans – from the Scottish Government to help, even when it has also made cutbacks and that is extremely worrying for front-line staff and patients.”