Tag: EIJB

Charity warns lives are at risk as specialist funding withdrawn

Deaf Action says EIJB decision has left some people in dire situations

The lives of deaf people have been put at risk by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s (EIJB) decision to withdraw specialist social work funding, according to Scotland’s leading deaf-led charity.

Deaf Action is urging Edinburgh’s health and social care body to reinstate the services, including social work support, specialist equipment and preventative, community-based assistance with immediate effect.

The organisation argues that the EIJB’s decision contradicts council leader Jane Meagher’s claim that a four percent rise in Council Tax will see it “protecting frontline services for those most in need of our support”.

Deaf Action has highlighted numerous examples of how the decision has affected the deaf community in the city, including one of a woman who had a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) order added to her medical records after a stroke because staff thought she couldn’t communicate.

In fact, as a British Sign Language (BSL) user she needed an interpreter and it was only an ad hoc welfare visit to the woman in hospital by a BSL-using Community Care Assistant that identified the problem. The woman involved was too unwell to be interviewed for this press release.

Deaf Action’s campaign has won the support of several MPs and MSPs, including the deputy first minister, Kate Forbes.

Philip Gerrard MBE, chief executive of Deaf Action, said: “Edinburgh once had specialist, deaf-led BSL-first services that helped people navigate daily life in their own language. Those services have been dismantled, one after another, and the result is that deaf people are now being pushed into generic systems that are not designed for BSL users.

“When you take away that language provision, you take away accessibility. It increases the risk of people being misunderstood, left isolated or falling through safeguarding gaps. The Council must restore these services as a matter of urgency.”

Jennifer Staples, who was born deaf and has lived in Edinburgh all her life, relied on Deaf Action’s specialist BSL-led support for more than four decades.

Through regular access to a dedicated social worker and later community-based services, she was able to manage everyday tasks, understand important correspondence and live independently with confidence.

Since the withdrawal of these services, Jennifer says she has been left struggling to navigate basic aspects of daily life, facing increasing isolation and uncertainty.

Jennifer said: “Every Thursday I knew that there was a two-hour slot, I could see a social worker, a person I knew, and I would go regularly. They could sign fluently and we communicated directly. But then the contract was changed and I was lost. It’s so different going through an interpreter. There were barriers everywhere.

“For example, I had a problem with my gas meter. The company stopped sending me printed bills and sent emails instead. They put on my account that I was deaf, but they kept trying to call me and I obviously can’t take a phone call.

“Nowadays I have to ask my family for help, but they don’t have any time, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It’s really stressful. I’m worrying about it all the time and I don’t sleep well because of it.

“I really hope that the Council brings something back for deaf people in Edinburgh – we need support.”

Deaf Action points to a further example of a deaf man with special educational needs who went without heating for four months over the winter due to communication failures within generic social care services.

Despite raising concerns, he did not fully understand the advice given by a visiting social worker about arranging an engineer, leaving the problem unresolved from November until February.

Deaf Action argues that the replacement of specialist provision with generic services is a false economy. The charity produced a cost analysis study which concludes that removing specialist deaf-led support does not eliminate need or reduce public spending; instead, it shifts demand into far more expensive crisis services.

Three key services have been cut in sequence over the past 18 months:

  • Deaf Social Worker (cut September 2024) – specialist, deaf-aware support with cultural understanding and BSL-first assessment and safeguarding
  • Specialist Equipment (March 2025) – deaf-specific equipment such as alerting systems, with repairs, replacements and specialist advice
  • Community Care Assistant Service (November 2025) – deaf-led, preventative support helping deaf people navigate health, care and day-to-day life

Philip Gerrard added: “The cuts contradict Scotland’s stated ambition under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act, passed a decade ago, to be the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, learn and visit,

“And this all comes just a few months after a UK Government report (link below [1] ) called for the reintroduction and strengthening of the role of specialist social workers and sensory teams across local authorities”.

As well as calling for the reintroduction of the specialist services, Deaf Action wants the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership to publish a full equality and social impact assessment that considers the cumulative effect of the cuts.

Philip Gerrard, who has met with the City of Edinburgh’s leader, Jane Meagher, and Connor Savage, the Chair of its Integration Board, said he hopes constructive discussions can continue.

REPORT: Locked out: Exclusion of deaf and deafblind BSL users from health and social care in the UK (full report – BSL and English versions)

Reforming social care

Carers to help shape local services

Unpaid carers, disabled people and people with lived experience of social care will have a say on local services after Scottish Parliament regulations come into force.

Social Care Minister Tom Arthur tabled an order giving service users and third sector organisations a vote during integration joint board decision making. This ensures their perspectives carry equal weight in shaping decisions about services, such as care in the community to enable people with disabilities or long term conditions to remain at home.

The 31 boards bring together the NHS and local councils with key community and service representatives to oversee planning and delivery of social care and community health services. Until now only members appointed by the NHS health board and local councils can vote.

The draft regulations will come into force in September after the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s scrutiny of the legislation concluded yesterday.

Mr Arthur said: “I am determined to ensure those who access and support community health and social care services have an equal say in making decisions that affect their communities. 

“These regulations extend voting rights to unpaid carers, service users and third sector representatives, collectively representing the voice of lived experience. It is only fair that these voices carry equal weight alongside other members – to help ensure local services are funded properly to meet the needs of people.

“People with lived experience provide valuable insight into challenges and opportunities which should be considered during planning. This change will bring decision making closer to the people we all serve. We expect to see more inclusive, collaborative and improved choices as a result.”

Stay of execution for third sector projects as EIJB forced to think again

EDINBURGH Integration Joint Board has reined back on plans to slash services delivered on their behalf by third sector organisations across the city. The EIJB is trying to tackle a massive funding deficit but bowed to pressure to rethink their plans at a meeting yesterday.

Change Mental Health is relieved that the Stafford Centre and services delivered in Edinburgh by the organisation are effectively safeguarded, for the time being, following yesterday’s decision by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB). However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure better collaboration leading to better outcomes.

Nick Ward, CEO of Change Mental Health, said: “While this is good news for the people who use our services, we remain clear that the proposed cuts were in themselves not needed. They represented a tiny part of the EIJB’s budget while having a significant, detrimental effect upon Edinburgh’s population.

“The process they put in place was fundamentally flawed in its approach, causing unnecessary distress to both organisations and service users. It has been disheartening for the third sector to have to continually make the argument that cutting early intervention and prevention services will only ever result in greater costs in the end.

“The fact remains that there are still significant cuts taking place to mental health services in the city and our sympathy and solidarity goes out to those charities affected. We are very disappointed and concerned that many of these cuts have been passed that disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and LGBT+ people.

“We called for the EIJB’s proposals to be paused to allow for a full, evidence-led and co-produced redesign of services. That appears to be what will now happen and we are grateful for that.

“We will now be a part of a crucial recommissioning exercise that can enable services to be more integrated and cost-effective through a better collaborative approach.

“However, trust needs to be rebuilt. There needs to be full transparency and a genuine dedication to working with the third sector by the EIJB, as well as a commitment to the principles of community-based early intervention and preventative approaches. We’re here to work closely with them, along with our partners, to ensure that we can truly meet the needs of our communities.”

Speaking after the meeting, Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said: “We are in a mental health crisis, and community and preventative mental health support is an essential part of how we tackle it.

“We welcome the IJB’s decision not to go ahead with the original proposals which would have effectively ended that support in Edinburgh. However, we are disappointed that a number of impactful support and advocacy services have been cut.

“This process has shown that we need to come together – funders, providers and especially the people who need this support – to jointly design a mental health system that works for and meets the needs of the people of Edinburgh.

“Redhall Walled Garden will continue to provide essential support to people with mental health problems for the time being, albeit with reduced funding and a recommissioning process to come.

“We’re hugely grateful to everyone that came out in support of Redhall, including Edinburgh’s politicians, members of the public and, most importantly, the people we support at Redhall and who make it what it is.”

The IJB voted in favour of the proposals relating to agenda item 6.1.

Late Composite Proposal – Item 6.1 Review of Contracts and Service Level AgreementsDownload
Review of Contracts and Service Level AgreementsDownload

Change Mental Health: Save the Stafford Centre

Our Stafford Centre in Edinburgh is under threat.

Proposed cuts by the EIJB would effectively end community mental health support in the city. This cannot happen.

We know that early intervention and prevention is key to better outcomes. Removing this funding just wouldn’t make sense: meaning more expensive support and longer waiting times elsewhere.

Stafford Centre and other community mental health services are vital for Edinburgh.

Sign the petition and urge the EIJB to stop these cuts: 

👇

https://buff.ly/0WNd2HG

Edinburgh Partnership launches review of longer-term support for the city’s third sector

The Edinburgh Partnership is conducting a review of how it supports and works with third sector organisations in Edinburgh.

The review into the relationship between the public sector and third sector in Edinburgh seeks to improve funding certainty in future years. This includes how grant funding and commissioning is delivered, how third sector organisations monitor and report on their work, and what in-kind support is provided.

Third sector organisations of all types – voluntary, social enterprises and charities – are being asked to share their views through the City of Edinburgh Council’s Consultation Hub survey or by attending a workshop.

The results will be reported to the Policy and Sustainability Committee in August.

Council Leader and Chair of the Edinburgh Partnership, Jane Meagher, said: “The third sector provides vital support to local communities, with many giving direct support to the most vulnerable in our city. 

“We know that they, like the Council, are under significant financial pressure and that there needs to be longer-term change in how they are supported by us and our partners.

“We want to hear about how we can make it simpler, provide more stability, and work better together to help vulnerable people. You can share your views through the council’s consultation hub webpage, or by attending one of the workshops.”

Workshops run from Monday 19 May until Thursday 5 June. Details are available on the Consultation Hub and booking is required.

As part of the city’s commitment to help the sector, the council has dedicated £3.5m this year to help organisations impacted by unexpected loss of grant funding or reduced commissioning.

Visit the Council’s website for more information about the Third Sector Resilience Fund.

MSP Calls for transparency and protection of essential services amidst EIJB budget cuts

Foysol Choudhury, MSP for the Lothian Region, has expressed deep concern over the proposed £29 million savings programme being considered by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) as part of its £900 million budget for health and social care services.

The EIJB’s proposed financial strategy aims to address rising service demands, increasing costs, and demographic shifts, but Foysol Choudhury MSP emphasised the need for transparency in decision-making, highlighting the importance of long-term strategic investment.

The proposed budget cuts will be formally discussed at the EIJB meeting on March 25, 2025. Foysol Choudhury MSP is encouraging residents to stay informed and make their voices heard in the decision-making process.

Commenting, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: ““The health and social care system in Edinburgh is already under immense strain, and while we all recognise the financial pressures facing the EIJB, it is critical that these cuts do not disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in our community.

“We must ensure that any savings made do not come at the expense of frontline services that so many Edinburgh residents depend on.”

“We need a future-proofed approach to social care that ensures sustainability, rather than short-term fixes that could lead to deeper crises down the line. I urge the EIJB to explore all possible options, including securing additional funding and working more closely with third-sector partners.”

“With the highest record settlement from the UK Labour Government since devolution, local authorities should not be pressured to cut essential services.”

EVOC: The Future’s Looking Brighter

It is the 21 February and the days are getting longer but more importantly, the future is looking brighter (writes EVOC CEO BRUCE CRAWFORD).

EIJB Fund Cuts

On Thursday (yesterday) the City of Edinburgh Council held a full Council meeting. I was in attendance to make a deputation on behalf of the voluntary organisations impacted by the cuts by the EIJB grants programme for social care.

This followed months of work by colleagues from across the sector who have worked tirelessly for the affected organisations. The work was largely done by members of the Third Sector Reference Group that came into existence after the EIJB meeting on 1 November which led to a three month extension to June 2025.

The eventual outcome is that the £4.5m grants programme has been replaced for the next financial year, so services can continue to be delivered to many of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Further work needs to be done in the coming weeks and months to help the officers to create the mechanism for disbursement of the funds.

I want to thank all the individuals who contributed to this success, it is evidence of the need to work together, focus on the needs of our communities and stand up for what is right.  I hope that we can build on the experience to generate continued investment into the sector as this will not be the last challenge we face.

A key function of EVOC is advocacy and this includes responding to consultations on proposed legislation and strategies. A current example of this is the draft Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board’s strategy 2025-28.

We have published information on our work in this area on our website. It includes a presentation and a video that explains the draft strategy.

 To inform our response we have asked a number of questions through an online survey.  Despite our request for an extension, the deadline from the EIJB is this Sunday (23 Feb 2025) and there is still no easy read version available. 

We encourage everyone who is interested in, or affected by this, to submit a response here.

Looking Forward

On 29 January I attended my first EVOC board meeting and found it to be useful and productive in equal measures. In the spirit of openness and transparency the directors unanimously agreed to my proposal to publish minutes of EVOC board meetings on the website. The minute of that meeting can be found here.

Following the challenges faced by EVOC in 2024 we created a recovery plan and are well on the way to developing a more robust and resilient organisation.

Some key changes are: improved policies and procedures, greater financial scrutiny and forecasting, better communication, along with a new risk management policy and risk register and a new strategic plan that focuses on the core purpose of the organisation to serve the needs of the sector. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the survey that we issued last month to inform our understanding of the needs of our members. We received a great deal of useful feedback and it will help our thinking as we develop the strategic plan for EVOC for 2025-2030.

Finally I am looking forward to our AGM on 26 February.

It is being held online to help make attendance as easy as possible. Details of how to register for the meeting are available here.

EVOC: No Time to Lose

A Third Sector Response to the Draft EIJB Strategic Plan for 2025-28

In response to the EIJB consultation inviting people and organisations to have a say on the draft Strategic Plan for 2025 – 28, the Third Sector Reference Group is working on a contribution on behalf of our sector.

This is another in a series of actions in light of the future funding crisis third sector organisations are facing across the city.

Download the draft Strategic Plan

Take Action

Your input to this response is vital and we would ask any and all third sector groups and organisations to share your hopes, fears and priorities, by answering the 9 questions in this short survey.

You are also encouraged to submit a separate response individually, feeding back on the identified priorities, planned actions and measures of success.

You can find out more and submit a response to the consultation here.

Please be aware that the deadline for the consultation submission is extremely tight – Sunday 23rd Feb 2025. 

This is strongly influencing the actions we are focusing on to deliver the best outcome for the sector.

The Reference Group has pulled together several resources that you might find useful:

EIJB draft Strategic Plan 25-28Download

Third Sector Funding Cuts: Edinburgh’s Health and Social Care Services at Risk

Light at the End of the Tunnel? 

Edinburgh’s third sector is facing a funding crisis that could result in the loss of essential  health and social care services. Sixty-four third sector organisations, which provide vital  support to the city’s most vulnerable residents, are at risk following proposed funding cuts  by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB).

The potential closure of these organisations  would not only impact service users but could also lead to the loss of 200 jobs, many  through compulsory redundancies. 

Scottish Labour MSP for the Lothian Region, Foysol Choudhury, is actively engaging with  Edinburgh City Council to advocate for greater clarity and support for these organisations. “I  have been asking the council to consider taking over the funding of the 64 organisations,”  he said.  

In response, Councillor Jane Meagher, Leader of Edinburgh City Council, has indicated a  positive step forward: “Our Finance Convenor proposed an additional £2 million of transition funding for  Edinburgh’s third sector service providers.

“The work that these organisations do helps local  people, many of whom desperately need this assistance and support.

“I’m pleased that by  raising this in Committee, we allowed all attending councillors to indicate support for finding  more money to help Edinburgh’s charitable and volunteering groups, some of which are  facing existential cuts following a decision by the EIJB.” 

Community Pressure and Temporary Relief 

Public outcry in response to the proposed cuts in November 2024 led to their rejection, with  the EIJB pledging to collaborate with affected organisations to seek alternative solutions.

In  December 2024, the EIJB extended the existing grants—originally set to expire on 31 March 2025—by three months. However, this extension provides only temporary relief, with no  long-term security for the organisations involved.

While some may secure alternative  funding, others could be forced to close, leaving significant gaps in service provision. 

Council Report Highlights Risks 

A report submitted to Edinburgh City Council and Officers following an initial assessment of  the situation highlighted serious concerns.

The report concluded that the closure of the EIJB  grants programme poses a substantial risk to the financial viability of many third sector  organisations, many of which are key partners in delivering council services.

The potential  closure of these organisations could undermine the council’s ability to deliver existing  projects, programmes, and priorities, further exacerbating social inequalities across  Edinburgh.

A Call for Sustainable Solutions 

MSP Choudhury remains committed to advocating for a sustainable funding solution that  protects essential services and jobs: “I will continue to push for sustainable funding solutions that protect the essential services our communities rely on,” Mr Choudhury affirmed. 

With the future of Edinburgh’s third sector organisations hanging in the balance, all eyes are  now on the council and EIJB to ensure long-term solutions are found to protect these vital  services.

EIJB: Draft Strategic Plan consultation

Edinburgh Integration Joint Board draft strategic plan – HAVE YOUR SAY

A consultation on the EIJB’s draft strategic plan is now open:

https://bit.ly/3E4amM1

We would like you to share your views on Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s (IJB) Draft Strategic Plan.

This plan covers the three financial years running from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028.

Our purpose as an IJB is to provide the best health and social care services that we can with the resources we have available.

This means working to make Edinburgh a safer, healthier and fairer place to live for everybody.

This latest version of the plan has been produced with extensive input from the citizens of Edinburgh and the many organisations and teams that serve our communities.  

We would like to know if you think we have the right priorities, if you agree with what we are planning to do and if you think the way we plan to measure our success is right. Please use the form on the following pages to tell us what you think. You can answer as many or as few of the questions as you like.

Give us your views:

Online Survey

We are also holding two events where you can share your views with us:

You can download a copy of the draft plan document at the bottom of this page.

If you need help accessing the documents or completing the form, please email ehscp.communications@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Have your say on the priorities, planned actions and measures of success.

EIJB draft Strategic Plan 25-28Download

#EIJBConsultation