North Lanarkshire’s Integration Joint Board (IJB) has approved a balanced budget for 2025/26, ensuring University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire continues to deliver high-quality care and support to local residents.
The budget approval forms a key part of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2025-2028, which was also approved by the IJB, reinforcing a positive and proactive approach to financial planning.
The key highlights of the approved Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2025-2028 include a balanced budget identifying savings of almost £15 million for 2025/26, ensuring services remain financially stable.
In addition, the plan considers long-term sustainability by proactively addressing future challenges such as inflation, staffing costs, rising demand, and regulatory changes, effectively managing projected annual pressures of around £58 million by 2034/35.
To ensure ongoing financial stability, the following proactive measures have been outlined:
• Addressing future funding, inflation, staffing costs, and regulatory changes in advance
• Innovatively managing savings to maintain excellent patient care and reduce hospital discharge delays
• Prioritising investments in staff retention and recruitment to attract and retain quality healthcare professionals
Councillor Anne McCrory, chair of the IJB, emphasised the importance of this financial planning. She said: “In the current financial climate, we know there are significant challenges ahead.
“However, our carefully considered plan allows us to confidently meet these challenges while protecting essential services for our communities.
“The IJB remains dedicated to protecting the quality of care provided to residents of North Lanarkshire, ensuring sustainability and resilience for the years ahead.”
North Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board, through its Strategic Commissioning Plan, decides how health and social care services in North Lanarkshire are planned, delivered and monitored. These community services are then delivered by University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire.