Health / Six health and care projects to receive funding
A NUMBER of new local health and care projects are in line to receive funding to push them ahead.
This includes a 12-month pilot of a primary care mental health nurse, who would be based across GP practices on the Shetland mainland.
Another project receiving funding will see specialist input into the development of a business case relating to accommodation for people with complex needs.
The funding will come from reserve funding from Shetland’s integration joint board (IJB), which oversees health and social care.
Members approved a number of funding bids at a meeting on Thursday.
The report had been deferred from November after IJB members requested the chance to explore the funding applications in more detail.
A total of eight funding applications were submitted for consideration, but there is not enough money in the reserve fund for them all.
As of 1 November there was £407,000 in the fund – but the eight applications requested a total of £576,752.
Following a members’ seminar last week, IJB chair Natasha Cornick successfully proposed that six of the eight projects be approved.
Regarding the remaining two applications, she said the board would be giving officers a “strong direction” to consider these work streams in the future.
The largest funding request was for £133,000, for the accommodation project.
Its funding bid said there is a “growing demand for accommodation to support people with learning disabilities and complex needs in Shetland”.
“Current provisions are unable to support this demand, posing a threat to wellbeing and financial sustainability,” it added.
The application said a business case is required that will make a “clear case for change”, emphasising the growing need for accommodation.
A funding bid for nearly £93,000 was also accepted for the primary care mental health nurse project.
Two funding applications were also approved regarding providing support relating to changes coming to GPIT (general practice information technology) systems.
A project worth £22,500 was also successfully put forward to improve musculoskeletal care, while there was also a bid approved for £4,050 to make information more accessible.
Vice-chair councillor John Fraser commented that members being allowed time to delve deeper into the funding applications showed the IJB is “open for having constructive debate”.
He added it showed the “robustness” of Shetland’s IJB.
Cornick added that the applications focus on areas of particular pressure within health and social care.
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