Managers say £68m cut to NHS planning board won’t affect front line care in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) needs to find £68.5 million in savings as part of an overall target of saving £257 million across the entire Nottinghamshire NHS in the 12 months from April.

ICB healthcare leaders were challenged over the impact at Nottinghamshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee meeting on Monday, January 7.

Victoria McGregor-Riley, acting executive director for Strategy and Systems Development at the board, said: “[We are looking at] where can we reduce the amount of money [spent] and enhance the value.”

She said the plan is to “reduce costs” without it “having any impact on direct patient care”.

Councillors questioned where the cuts are being made and whether patients will be affected.

Coun Reg Adair (Con)asked: “When you’re dealing with such large sums of money, how do you comprehensively bring this together in a proper baseline budget plan? Who makes the decisions on that? Where is the money going?”

Ms McGregor-Riley replied: “We have a system approach, our finance leads are good at understanding how the money is currently being spent. We have a team that review progress against expenditure.”

She added: “We have a really good process of understanding our existing budget allocations and how we’re spending it, and where the opportunities for savings and integrated efficiencies are.”

Meanwhile, some councillors questioned whether savings should be made elsewhere – rather than slashing NHS budgets. The targets for the NHS as a whole are being set by the Government, area by area.

Coun John Willmott (Ash Ind) asked: “How many companies are overcharging with their medicines at the moment. It’s absolutely incredible. There should be a cap on medicine profits. I just wondered if you spoke to the government on this issue?”

He added: “Making savings is a nice thought, but patients should be the priority.”

Alex Ball, director of Communications and Engagement, NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB replied: “Our absolute and overriding focus is making sure that the people who we serve are at the centre of our thinking. That’s why we have been and will be able to deliver this year’s savings without any impact on those front line services.

However, he said next year’s budget cut will be a “challenge”, and that there is a “high level of expectation” from the Government to deliver more reductions.