Extra £1.9m allocated to NHS Orkney

Health secretary Shona Robison has confirmed that NHS Orkney will receive an additional £1.9 million in 2016-17.

This is an increase of 4.6 per cent on NHS Orkney’s budget level in 2015-16, bringing the board’s overall funding to £43.2 million.

NHS Orkney’s uplift includes £1.1 million for investment in social care as part of the integration of health and social care – this, says the Scottish Government, is part of the £250 million committed by the Deputy First Minister as part of the 2016-17 budget settlement.

This funding will be split between the new health and social care partnerships in Orkney, which, from April, will bring together health board and local authority responsibilities by integrating health and social care services across Scotland.