A decision to save a range of local services from possible cutbacks was welcomed by Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron.
Argyll and Bute IJB met at a crunch meeting on 28th March to decide of the fate of a number of local services, including elderly care facilities and services for the disabled.
It was decided to reject proposals which could have seen services such as Struan Lodge in Dunoon, Thomson Court in Rothesay, and the Lochgilphead Resource Centre axed.
The IJB will now review new proposals which will be drawn up ahead of their next meeting in May. They need to identify around £13m of savings for this financial year alone.
Donald Cameron MSP said:
“I welcome the decision from the IJB to save these vital services, some of which have had the spectre of closure and funding cuts hanging over them for some time now. I visited Struan Lodge last year and was greatly impressed by the dedication of the staff and the very high quality of care they provided to residents.
I recognise that the IJB need to find significant savings and that will inevitability lead to tough and unpopular decisions.
That said, I am stunned by the utter hypocrisy of the SNP’s Health Secretary with her recent intervention, because after all, many of these decisions are being taken because of the dreadful management of the NHS by the SNP Government over the last decade and compounded by a serious lack of any forward planning.”