Edinburgh care chief warns of huge cuts amid £67m black hole as campaigners plan protest

Edinburgh's social care chief has warned of a 'huge impact' on already-crippled services across the city due to a £67m financial shortfall.

Pat Togher, chief officer of the Integration Joint Board (IJB), said the figures meant it was necessary to 'reset the social contract' with citizens of the Capital. It was revealed on Tuesday that the body tasked with integrating health and social care has seen its forecasts for 2024/25 worsen by nearly £50m since November.

Services were cut by £33m last June, just three months after a Care Inspectorate report highlighted a 'litany of failures' in the provision of adult social care by the city council and NHS Lothian partnership. Campaigners warned slashing funding could cost lives.

At a meeting of the local authority's finance committee on Tuesday, Mr Togher told how the city's care services were staring into the financial abyss again. He said: "The amount of money that needs to come out of the system next year will have a huge impact on our service."

Mr Togher added: "The behavioural change within the Health and Social Care Partnership will be significant. There will also be a requirement to change behaviour and expectations and reset the social contract with the citizens of Edinburgh.

"The expectations and what people have experienced with care packages so far will change and will change dramatically given the scale of what we have to change."

He said that the partnership's policy of not making compulsory redundancies meant the black hole could only be filled by cutting services. It is estimated that the necessary cut-backs in the next financial year will see around 20-25 per cent of the board's budget slashed, making it a 'serious struggle' to deliver even its legal duties.

With the board set to meet at the City Chambers tomorrow, campaigners from Another Edinburgh Is Possible plan to stage a protest outside. Demonstrators will gather at 9am to raise attention to the 'unbearable pressure' put on the care workforce.

Mr Togher took over the top social care job last year. His predecessor, Judith Proctor stepped down after the damning watchdog report claimed care-receivers were let down by 'insufficient leadership' within the service.