NHS Lothian has taken the difficult decision to withdraw joint funding from a service that provides support to veterans in Lothian, following a stark financial review.
The health board has told Veterans First Point Lothian staff and patients that it can no longer provide its share – £214,778 – of the total budget required, to maintain the service amid the significant financial challenge facing health boards.
Veterans First Point Lothian was jointly funded by Scottish Government and NHS Lothian as a “one-stop shop” offering support, advice and mental health care for veterans. It is a multi-award-winning service that has provided support to over 2500 different veterans throughout the last 15 years.
By April 2025, the service will cease to exist in its current form and a significant redesign and move of premises is planned by March 2025.
It comes as NHS Lothian is forced to review all services and departments in a bid to make efficiency savings of seven per cent following the budget allocation made earlier this year.
Further reductions in part of the mental health budget of 4.6 per cent means that the health board can no longer continue to find its share of this service.
Tracey McKigen, Director of Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services, NHS Lothian, said: “This has been a really difficult decision and we apologise to all of our patients and staff who are affected. We would like to thank the team for their dedication and commitment to supporting our veterans over the years.
“This is no reflection on the quality of the Veterans First Point Lothian service, but it does serve as a stark reminder of the extremely difficult choices that we are facing every day as we balance the need to provide safe and effective healthcare while meeting the severe financial challenges facing health board and other public sector organisations.”
Scottish Government will allocate its 40 per cent share of the funding and NHS Lothian is currently reviewing the future service provision possible within the remaining budget.
However it does mean that Veterans First Point Lothian will no longer be able to accept new referrals or commence any new episodes of treatment. Veterans, who are impacted by the change, are urged to contact the team to discuss alternative support.
If veterans feel they need help or support and are not already part of Veterans First Point Lothian, they should contact their GP during the day, and at evenings and weekends they should contact NHS 24 on 111.
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