A councillor has expressed unease over a possible future transfer by the Scottish Authorities to take again thousands and thousands of kilos it has offered native well being chiefs to assist cope with ongoing points brought on by Covid-19.
A committee set as much as scrutinise the actions of the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (PKIJB) heard the federal government may find yourself asking for as much as £9.7 million of Covid-19 particular funding to be returned so it may be redistributed elsewhere.
The audit and efficiency committee was instructed the opening stability of the PKIJB Covid-19 reserve this 12 months was £15.4m and that finance bosses are presently estimating solely £5.7m will probably be required to cowl prices instantly attributable to coping with the illness by the tip of 2022/23.
A paper put earlier than the committee mentioned the £5.7m determine included £1.9m for added neighborhood hospital mattress capability, £707,000 for added well being workers prices and £1.7m of economic assist for grownup social care suppliers.
A masking report knowledgeable members that there have been “nationwide discussions” going down “to find out using unspent Covid-19 reserves in 2022/23 and the way these could also be used throughout Scotland to assist prices elsewhere”.
Nonetheless newly appointed committee member councillor Sheila McCole mentioned she was involved any transfer by the Scottish Authorities to reclaim a few of the money within the close to future could show untimely.
The Perth Metropolis South councillor instructed how she just lately needed to go to the help of a member of the family after their carer caught Covid and defined that this demonstrated the illness was persevering with to trigger issues for care at house providers.
She famous in circumstances the place she or others like her weren’t in a position to go to help household when their common carers got here down with Covid then company workers could must be introduced in to assist and this is able to price further cash.
The SNP councillor went on to ask for an assurance no Covid particular money could be “clawed again” by the federal government in future that will find yourself leaving the board brief.
“You simply can’t predict this form of factor,” she mentioned. “I’m only a wee bit involved about this clawback of Covid reserves once we don’t know what’s going to return forward.”
Councillor McCole additionally famous any future shortfall led to by the return of the reserve to the Scottish Authorities could find yourself having to be coated by Perth and Kinross Council which she described as having its personal “important price pressures” in the meanwhile.
Perth and Kinross Well being and Social Care Partnership’s (PKHSCP) interim head of grownup social work and social care, Zoe Robertson, instructed councillor McCole “very important” sums have been already being paid to company workers suppliers serving to to fill gaps within the workforce with none requirement to the touch the reserve.
Ms Robertson added there was an “extraordinary expenditure” course of that is also used to cowl further prices incurred within the form of situation set out by councillor McCole.
“It's unlucky that relations are requested assist in these conditions however typically it's unavoidable,” she mentioned.
PKHSCP’s head of finance and company providers, Jane Smith, assured the committee the forecast stability of the reserve on the finish of the 12 months had been labored out conserving uncertainty over what lies across the nook with Covid in thoughts.
“We're ensuring there's an acceptable stage of cushion in-built,” she mentioned.