The Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board (IJB) met on Wednesday 28 January 2026 and agreed that a series of savings proposals should now move to public engagement and consultation, which will run until 12 March 2026.
Although there has been a reported slight improvement in the projected overspend, the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) continues to face significant financial pressures. Prioritising services will be necessary, and working closely with communities will be a key part of the IJB’s decision-making process.
The consultation will be promoted widely, including:
- in-person community sessions
- online engagement
- paper questionnaires, available on request
- posters will be displayed widely in our communities
- staff will also be encouraged to feed back their views
Find out more at our Engagement Hub.
We would also encourage you to register on the Hub so that you can receive updates throughout the consultation period.
Evan Beswick, Chief Officer of Argyll and Bute HSCP, said:
“We are facing significant challenges as a Health and Social Care Partnership with the most pressing one being the financial situation. While there has been a slight improvement in our projected overspend the HSCP continues to face financial pressures.
“We are undertaking transformation as an organisation however this will take time, and to allow us to provide a balanced budget we will need to prioritise services and take the difficult decision to look at savings to ensure that we break even at the end of the financial year.
“As part of the budget consultation process we will be working closely with our local communities during February and March so that we can outline in more detail the challenges we are facing and provide an opportunity for you to share your views.
“We want to continue to provide safe, effective care for everyone in Argyll and Bute and the feedback we receive will help us inform the Integration Joint Board as part of the decision making process when it next meets on 25 March 2026.”