Latest news with #NHSDumfriesandGalloway
Daily Record
15-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
People in Dumfries and Galloway urged to help end support 'postcode lottery' for bereaved parents
A new report by Sands has revealed that only three-quarters of bereaved parents wanted mental health support – but only eight per cent were able to access this through the NHS. A baby loss charity is urging people in Dumfries and Galloway to help end the 'postcode lottery' of support on offer to bereaved parents. A new report by Sands has revealed that only three-quarters of bereaved parents wanted mental health support – but only eight per cent were able to access this through the NHS. That was lower than in England, where 17 per cent were able to access such support. While NHS Dumfries and Galloway employs a maternity and neonatal psychological interventions (MNPI) psychologist, 29 per cent of health boards across Scotland do not. Sands chief executive, Clea Harmer, said: 'The findings of our report show that it is a postcode lottery for bereaved parents in Scotland looking for specialist mental health support. "Fathers and partners, those experiencing earlier pregnancy losses and people from marginalised communities are especially likely to miss out on care. "Maternity and neonatal psychological interventions teams can support bereaved parents in Scotland but these are found in only 71 per cent of health boards and even when they exist they are not always providing what is needed. "We now need real commitment from the Scottish Government, and all governments across the UK, to strengthen and expand mental health services which support bereaved parents." To compile the report, Sands made freedom of information requests to Scotland's health boards. NHS Dumfries and Galloway's response shows the health board has a 0.5 whole-time equivalent (WTE) MNPI psychologist, with support on offer to bereaved parents for up to a year. There is a six week wait for access to both assessment and therapy, with half of health boards reporting waits of one to three months. One-to-one support is on offer for up to a year after a pregnancy or baby loss to both parents, or the mother on their own. Sands is calling on people in Dumfries and Galloway to contact their local representative to ensure all bereaved parents can access the care they need.
The Herald Scotland
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Mundell: SNP is depriving pro-Union areas of funding
In March, Dumfries and Galloway councillors were forced to find £30 million in savings over three years, blaming what they described as an 'unprecedented funding gap' from the Scottish Government. READ MORE Meanwhile, NHS Dumfries and Galloway is currently trying to find more than £23m in savings. It has even cut down on lawn mowing across its entire estate as part of a 'wider effort to prioritise and protect patient care'. However, the challenges are not confined to the south of Scotland. A recent report by the Accounts Commission found that Scotland's councils are facing a near £1 billion budget gap over the next two years. The watchdog said for this year, the gap between the country's 32 local authorities stands at £647m – up £52m from 2024–25. This comes despite councils receiving £15.2bn from the Scottish Government in the 2025–26 budget – a real-terms increase of 6%. The report on local government budgets highlighted the 'recurring pressures' authorities face, from inflation, annual staff pay deals and the growing demand for services. One of the biggest impacts is the hike in employers' national insurance contributions brought in by the Chancellor at last year's budget. Cosla say this could cost £370m a year – more than double the £144m provided by the Scottish Government towards the rise. READ MORE Speaking during Scotland Questions, Mr Mundell said: 'Does the Secretary of State share my view that whatever the budget SNP Scottish Government have, they have cynically and systematically deprived funding from areas that do not support independence, leaving councils like Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders and their health boards struggling to provide basic services?' Scottish Secretary Ian Murray responded by accusing the SNP of neglecting the entire country. 'The whole of Scotland voted against independence in 2014,' he said. 'And it seems to me that the SNP government strategy is to starve all of Scotland's public services of the vital funding they require.' The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
NHS Dumfries and Galloway predicts budget burst of £28 million in 2025/26 financial year
The overspend is down from the £33.6 million previously expected and includes £21.7 million of cuts. The financial picture of Dumfries and Galloway's healthboard is improving ... but not enough to win approval from the Scottish Government. A report for Monday's board meeting of NHS Dumfries and Galloway revealed an overspend of £28 million is expected in the current financial year. That's down from the £33.6 million prediction at the last meeting. However, the Scottish Government has set a target of a £25 million overspend. Finance boss Katy Kerr's report states the previous draft plan, submitted at the end of March, was not approved. And while 'additional Scottish Government funding' and 'local improvements' have led to the expected overspend being brought down, it still does not meet the requirements of Scottish Ministers. The previous meeting was told that, as things stood, NHS Dumfries and Galloway was due to overspend by £95 million over the next three years. That position has been improved, with the budget burst now expected to be around £87.5 million. That includes £66.7 million worth of savings over the same period. Ms Kerr reported that more than 50 savings schemes worth around £15 million have been found for the current financial year. The savings target is £21.6 million – more than the record £20.1 million the health board saved last year. Members approved the financial recovery plan on Monday and chief executive, Julie White, said: 'This past year's savings have been hard-won, delivered through changes to financial controls, service reviews and transformation which have impacted the way we work right across oursystem. 'But we're now in a position where we have to go further, and faster. 'The next phase of recovery will be even more difficult, and it will require difficult decisions. 'To deliver the level of savings required, we will have to become more efficient and consider further changes to the way in which we deliverservices. 'We will, however, continue to focus on delivering improvements to our performance, particularly our waiting times for planned and unscheduled care. 'We've shown this year that progress is possible. But we need to be honest about what comes next. 'Recovery at this scale means changing how we deliver care. 'Our focus will be on protecting what matters most — that is the delivery of front line core NHS services to the highest possible standards within our available resources, but we need to be clear this requires us to modernise our provision through areas such as a greater use of technology and digital innovation.'
Daily Record
02-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Waiting lists for Dumfries and Galloway hospital appointments branded 'devastating'
New figures show that the number of waits for outpatient appointments have hit a record high. Waiting lists for hospital appointments in Dumfries and Galloway have been branded 'devastating'. New figures show that the number of waits for outpatient appointments have hit a record high And Public Health Scotland has noted the increase over the past 12 months is the largest amongst Scotland's health boards. South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, said: 'Once again our region has been singled out on a national scale for all the wrong reasons. 'These figures are devastating for our area, exposing the abject failure of the Scottish Government's handling of the NHS. 'We were promised that waiting times would reduce yet these damning figures show how hollow those promises were. 'On John Swinney's watch, the number of patients left waiting for outpatient appointments in Dumfries and Galloway has spiralled. 'No one with a referral should forced to wait so long in pain – yet that is the grim reality for more than thousands of people in our region. 'Our health and care staff across Dumfries and Galloway are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible standard of care, but they simply cannot keep up as there just aren't enough of them. 'These waiting times also have a knock on effect as those who are waiting are forced back to their GP again and again. Serious changes must be made.' At the end of March, there were 559,742 waits across Scotland – down from 560,456 the previous month. In Dumfries and Galloway, the waiting list stood at 13,718 – the highest figure on record and up from 13,364 in February. In March 2024, 10,813 waits were recorded. The Public Health Scotland report notes: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway shows the biggest percentage increase in ongoing waits at 26.9 per cent. 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway have reported that the rise in ongoing waits relates to staffing issues across multiple services, including ophthalmology and pain management.' The Scottish Government has set a target that 95 per cent of patients should be seen within 12 weeks. In Dumfries and Galloway, 48.4 per cent were seen within that time frame – an improvement on the February figure of 45.7. The national figure was 41.4 per cent. The figures reveal 175 waits had lasted for more than a year and 14 had lasted more than two years. The inpatient waiting list stood at 5,192 at the end of March, down from 5,314 at the end of February. The March 2024 figure was 5,059. Just 31.1 per cent of patients were seen within 12 weeks, with 763 waits lasting more than one year and 10 more than two years. A healthboard spokesman said: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway acknowledges the concern around the recent increase in waiting list numbers. This reflects a complex situation, including rising demand and the demographic challenges of a rural region with an ageing population. 'The figures refer specifically to first outpatient appointments with a doctor, and do not include follow-ups or care delivered by other healthcare professionals. In some cases, speciality waits are influenced by national scheduling availability, not local services alone. 'Despite these challenges, NHS Dumfries and Galloway continues to perform well, with one of the lowest numbers of people waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment. 'A key target for NHS boards is to ensure that no one waits more than 52 weeks for an outpatient or inpatient appointment. We work towards that while prioritising those in need of urgent care, seeking to expand clinical capacity and developing new models of care to reduce waiting times wherever possible.' A Scottish Government spokesperson added: 'It is encouraging and indeed a testament to our hardworking NHS staff that the statistics published this week are showing improvements in some outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient/day case waiting-times performance metrics. 'Our 2025-26 budget provides record funding of £21 billion for health and social care – with NHS boards receiving an additional £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge. 'NHS boards have exceeded the commitment to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures in 2024-25, funded through our £30 million investment, with boards reporting delivery of 105,500 appointments and procedures.'
STV News
01-05-2025
- Health
- STV News
Patient couldn't start chemo because of botched treatment for infected toe
A patient at an NHS board was unable to start chemotherapy because of botched treatment they received for an infected toe. The patient's spouse complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) over the treatment received from NHS Dumfries and Galloway. They complained that the infected toe remained unresolved, despite several months of treatment, and that their spouse was unable to start chemotherapy for their oesophageal cancer during this time. The spouse said that this meant the patient 'experienced significant pain' and that there had been a 'failure' to coordinate their care needs. The SPSO took independent advice from a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and a consultant clinical oncologist. In its report, it found that the health board had provided reasonable care when each admission was considered in isolation. However, during one admission it was found the results of an MRI scan were not correctly reported, resulting in the patient receiving lesser surgery. It was also found that this incident was not reported in accordance with Duty of Candor legislation, and no internal review was conducted to learn from it. The watchdog stated that a more coordinated approach to the care could have provided a 'proper overview' of their needs, including pain management, which were known to be complex. NHS Dumfries and Galloway did not 'accurately' describe the impact of failing the MRI scan to the patient or 'acknowledge the impact' this had on their surgery and treatment plan. The board also failed to initiate 'relevant reporting and investigation' processes. A number of recommendations were made by the SPSO, including that the board should apologise to the patient's spouse. It also included following processes after an incident to ensure learning, reflecting on how the patient's care could have been managed differently, and investigating complaints in line with guidance. A spokesperson for the health board said: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway cannot comment on individual cases. 'However, it can confirm that it has accepted the SPSO's decision and is in the process of undertaking the associated recommendations. 'An apology has been issued to the complainant in line with those recommendations.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
