DECISION DAY

COMMUNITY PROJECTS TO LEARN THEIR FATE AT EIJB MEETING

SIXTY-THREE voluntary sector organisations will learn their fate today when Edinburgh Integration Joint Board makes crucial decisions on cost-saving measures.

EIJB is looking to make ‘savings’ (i.e. cuts) of £60 million and the proposal to disinvest in third sector projects would see the EIJB ‘save’ £4.5 million, but the voluntary sector argues that the scale of the cuts in some of the capital’s poorest communities – cuts imposed without any prior consultation – will actually cost the city far more in real terms – and they are urging the EIJB to think again.

If the EIJ Board accepts Chief Officer Pat Togher’s recommendations to disinvest, projects across Edinburgh will be forced to slash services, make staff redundant and, in some cases, close completely.

One of the projects affected is Libertus Services, a charity dedicated to supporting people to live independently. Libertus provides two registered Day Care services to local older people, located in Gracemount and Canalside, alongside a plethora of recreational, educational, cultural and social activities.

Libertus Services is dedicated to empowering its’ Members to make informed choices and to engage with activities which offer a selection of physical activity, reminiscence, games and art as therapy. 

Their Positive Futures project supports local people (50+) across Edinburgh to develop and run activity groups in community based settings. The groups take place on a weekly basis, facilitated by a dedicated team of volunteers.

Andrew Farr, General Manager at Libertus, said: “Libertus Services has been established for 43 years and employs 23 staff members to provide services for people at risk of many vulnerabilities, including social isolation, and has provided support to thousands of people.

“The impact of EIJB cuts to Libertus Services will affect at least 300 people aged over 50, and older vulnerable people and their support base who rely on the input and outcomes achieved within our groups.

“The loss of peer support, interaction and professionally led early intervention will inevitably lead to an increase in our vulnerable population of older people becoming more reliant on statutory services now and in the future. 

“The potential closure of our Positive Futures over 50’s service and our volunteer service additionally losing 42 volunteers not only increases risks to our Day Services for older people, which will no longer receive the additional social and practical input from our volunteers, but also reduces our financial stability.

“This is due to our premises increasing their reliability on the already reducing contract with the EHSCP, following a 10% in year contract reduction, followed by additional year on year 10% reductions in funding from 2025 onwards.

“A significant number of people would be without our support, leading to social isolation for a significantly higher number of people with social and psychological needs. Service provision would need to be absorbed by adding further pressure within statutory services, including hospital admissions and readmissions, due to the increase in demand resulting from the loss of this preventative service.”

The projects facing cuts today are:

ACE-IT

Art In Healthcare – Room For Art project

Autism Initiatives

Bethany Christian Trust – Passing The Baton project

Bridgend Farmhouse – Community Kitchen

Calton Welfare Services

Care for Carers – Stepping Out residential and short-term breaks for Carers

Caring in Craigmillar – Phonelink

CHAI Community Help and Advice Initiative (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice

Citizens Advice Edinburgh (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice

Changeworks – Heat Heroes programme

Community One Stop Shop – COSS

Community Renewal Trust – Health Case Management

Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland – Edinburgh bereavement services

Cyrenians – Golden Years Community Connecting Service

Drake Music Scotland – Musicspace

Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust – Healthy Lifestyles South Edinburgh

Edinburgh Community Food – Healthier Food, Healthier Lives, Healthier Future

Edinburgh Community Health Forum

Edinburgh Consortium (CHAI, Citizens Advice Edinburgh and Granton Information Centre) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice across the city

Edinburgh Garden Partners – Befriending Through Gardening project

Edinburgh Headway Group – ABI Rehabilitation Support Project

Edinburgh Leisure – Steady Steps programme

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre – Rape crisis support service

Eric Liddell Centre – Caring for Carers Befriending Service

FAIR – Family Advice and Information resource for people with learning disabilities

FENIKS – Reach Out, Help Within support for Eastern European community

Fresh Start – Helping previously homeless people make a home for themselves

Granton Information Centre (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, welfare and debt advice

Hillcrest Futures – Futures Hub

Health All Round – Community health initiative in Sighthill Gorgie

Health in Mind – Counselling in Craigmillar

Home Start Edinburgh West and South West – promoting positive perinatal health

LGBT Health and Wellbeing – Core funding and community programme

Libertus Services – Positive Futures volunteering project

LCIL – Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living

MECOPP – Jump Start project

MECOPP – BME Carer Support

Multicultural Family Base MCFB – Syrian mens mental health group

Murrayfield Dementia Project – Day Resorce

Pilmeny Development Project – Older people’s services

Pilton Equalities Project – Mental health and wellbeing support service

Pilton Equalities Project – Day Care services

Portobello Monday Centre – Informal daycare for people with dementia

Portobello Older People’s Project – Lunch and social club for isolated people

Positive Help – HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C support service for vulnerable adults

Queensferry Churches Care in the Community – support services for older people

Rowan Alba Ltd – CARDS service for people with alcohol-related brain damage

Scottish Huntingdon’s Association – Lothian Huntingdon’s Disease service

Sikh Sanjog – Health and wellbeing group for ethnic minority women

South Edinburgh Amenities Group – community transport service

South Edinburgh Day Centre Volunteer Forum

Support in Mind Scotland – RAISE for Carers project

The Broomhouse Centre – The Beacon Club

The Broomhouse Centre – Vintage Vibes consortium

The Broomhouse Health Strategy Group – B Healthy Together initiative

The Dove Centre – Social day centre

The Health Agency – Community-led health improvement initiative

The Living Memory Association – drop-in facility for isolated older people

The Open Door Senior Men’s Group – tackling social isolation

The Ripple Project – Community hub in Restalrig

The Welcoming Association – Welcoming Health programme for migrants/refugees

Venture Scotland – Outdoor activities and residential experiences

VOCAL – Counselling support for carers

Waverley Care – HIV and Hepatitis C support

The following projects will make deputations to this morning’s meeting:

It’s looking increasingly likely that common sense will prevail today and that recommended funding cuts will NOT be imposed before the end of this current financial year – always an unrealistic ambition given the timescales involved and the lack of prior consultation.

Edinburgh Green Councillor Alys Mumford tweeted yesterday: “I’m sure everyone has been very concerned about news of potential in-year cuts to 3rd sector organisations.

“Here is an update from the Edinburgh Councillor Group, and as a board member of the Integration Joint Board, I’m glad I’ve submitted this joint proposal to reject the cuts:

So a small victory for the voluntary sector IS possible today, maybe, but would this be just a stay of execution, a short reprieve?

The EIJB must balance it’s books, and with the city council, NHS Lothian and the Scottish Government all facing financial challenges of their own, just how does Edinburgh Integration Joint Board fill that black hole?

And what is the future for our community projects – and the hundreds, perhaps thousands. of vulnerable people they support across what is supposed to be an affluent capital city – come the new financial year? Can it be a Happy New Year for them?

Hopefully all will become clearer this afternoon.

Good luck to all of the deputations this morning and here’s hoping Edinburgh Integration Joint Board belatedly sees the real human cost of the cuts being proposed – and rejects them.