A RECORD £20.1 million in savings has been delivered by NHS Dumfries and Galloway for 2024/25— as it works to improve its financial position and reduce a growing deficit.
The Board ended 2024/25 with a balanced position after receipt of £26.1 million of brokerage funding from Scottish Government. And today, senior leaders planning for the year ahead were warned that the road to financial balance will continue to involve tough decisions.
Speaking after the Health Board approved a detailed Financial Recovery Plan for 2025/26 on 9 June, 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 our system. 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 deliver services. We will, however, continue to focus on delivering improvements to our performance particularly our waiting times for planned and unscheduled care.”
The newly approved financial recovery and transformation plan for 2025/26 sets out how NHS Dumfries and Galloway will deliver a further £21.3 million in savings over the year ahead. It also confirms the Board will work towards the £25 million overspend limit set by the Scottish Government for 2025/26, with the current financial forecast estimated at a £28 million deficit — with no brokerage funding available this year.
To support delivery, the Board has adopted a new Tactical Approach to Financial Recovery and Transformation.
It includes:
- A full review of clinical services to ensure they are affordable and sustainable
- Stronger financial controls across all departments
- A savings and transformation work plan covering both immediate efficiencies and longer-term change
- Vacancy controls, tighter spending scrutiny, and continued reduction in reliance on agency and locum staffing
Julie White said: “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.”
Discussions are continuing at a national level about what support may be available to health boards transitioning to sustainable financial positions, and NHS Dumfries and Galloway remains engaged with Scottish Government colleagues on that front.
In the meantime, the Board has committed to rigorous monitoring and regular reporting as the recovery programme moves forward.
