WEST Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership Board has booted in touch the offer of a reduced budget for the financial year ahead.

At a board meeting last week members voted to reject the current financial allocation offer from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

They claimed it would “take the 2017/18 base budget allocation below the 2016/17 cash level” and prevent the board from dealing with the current £1.238m of financial pressures it is facing.

The details of the budget were outlined for members of the committee and it was revealed that WDHSCP would receive approximately £0.274m which would not be enough to cover the spending pressures that the board will face such as salary uplifts, prescribing pressure, contractual inflation, acute service delivery and underachieved savings for 2017/18.

A letter from the Scottish Government read: “Budgets for allocation from NHS Boards to Integration Authorities for 2017/18 must be at least equal to the recurrent budgeted

allocations in 2016/17. The allocation should include the total of the set aside for hospital services.”

As the current allocation does not meet the criteria set out by the Scottish Government a motion moved to reject it.

The report states: "The recommendation of the Chief Financial Officer is that this offer should be rejected on the basis that it would take the 2017/18 base budget allocation below the 2016/17 cash level."

There was some opposition to the proposal from board member Rona Sweeney who stated that it was "critical" in her eyes to work in partnership with NHSGGC to improve the lives of those living in West Dunbartonshire. She moved to propose that the board support the offer from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Keith Redpath tried to explain the reason for rejecting the offer stating: "It's not that we're trying to be awkward. The reality is that we don't feel the offer meets the terms set out in the Scottish government's letter."

Jonathan McColl added: “We're never going to agree 100 per cent on everything and I think it's a greater risk just to accept the offer to appear to be getting on together.

“We have to take the advice of the professional officers and I think it needs more discussion.”

Ms Sweeney reiterated that she believed that the right thing to do was to accept the offer and proposed an amendment to do so. The motion to reject the offer was passed four votes to two.

Representations have been made to the Scottish Government to consider the positions of the Health Board and the partnership.

It is, however, hoped that a resolution will be reached to allow WDHSCP to move forward with addressing the £1.238m of pressures.