Budget increase for NHS Highland

Scotland’s NHS revenue funding allocations, just announced in Parliament by Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon show NHS Highland’s allocation for 2010-11 rising to £480.6 million, an above-inflation increase of 2.55%.

Revenue funding for NHS Boards will rise by 2.7% to a record £8.464 billion.

The extra money will prioritise spending on frontline services for patients across the country.

• Each territorial board will receive, as a minimum, an above inflation rise of 2.55%.
• Some boards  – NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian and NHS Orkney – will receive higher increases to take account of health needs arising from changes in population, and deprivation levels.
• NHS Special Boards, like the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS 24, will receive an increase of 2.15%.

Ms Sturgeon said: ‘This above inflation increase in revenue funding to NHS Highland in these difficult economic times, underlines this Government’s unshakeable commitment to our publicly-funded mutual health service.

‘It means health boards will have the resources they need to progress their plans and ensure that patients continue to be at the heart of the NHS’.

The overall health budget for Scotland for 2010-2011 will rise by 2.4% to £11.35 billion.

The revenue allocations for NHS Boards are calculated using the National Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula. This takes into account each NHS Board’s share according to a number of need criteria. These include population share, the age and sex breakdown of that population and levels of deprivation.

All Boards are required to make a 2% efficiency savings, which they keep to reinvest in frontline services.

These revenue allocations make up the bulk of the NHS budget of £11.35 billion.

The remaining funds support family health services, capital programmes and specific projects to achieve key national targets. Further details on these will be issued in due course.