Delivering social care services within budget

North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) is currently engaging with individuals, families, carers and professionals on their priorities around how it delivers social care services within budget - and it wants to hear your views.

The partnership is responsible for a wide range of community and hospital-based health and social care services for all ages, including care at home, social work, children and family services, older people’s services, mental health and addictions services, justice services, learning disability services and Allied Health Profession services (such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy).

As previously reported, NAHSCP is facing significant financial pressures, with demand for its services continuing to rise at an unprecedented rate. Earlier this year, it set out its financial position, where savings of £4m were agreed to balance its total budget of £336m. While most of these savings are on track, the increase in demand for services – and the increased cost of providing these – means the partnership is facing an overspend of around £5m this year, with a projected budget deficit of around £17m moving into 2026-27.

With these challenges increasing and set to continue, some extremely difficult decisions must be made in the coming months as the Integration Joint Board works towards setting its budget for the coming year, which will affect the level and types of care NAHSCP is able to provide across many of its services.

As such, the partnership wants to have open, frank and honest conversations with North Ayrshire residents around the challenges being faced, what this means for services, and how that might affect you, your loved ones, or the people you care for.

North Ayrshire has an ageing population, with around a quarter of residents being over the age of 65. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation shows that of the 186 Data Zones in North Ayrshire, 52 of these are among the most deprived in the country. It also has the lowest healthy life expectancy in Scotland, with the average adult remaining in full health until just 52 years old.

All of these factors have led to a continued and sustained increase in demand for health and social care services at a time when funding has not kept pace with these additional pressures. With the majority of the partnership’s budget going towards frontline services, this means that changes to services which support our residents - from cradle to grave - are unfortunately inevitable.

To help NAHSCP consider its priorities and plan what frontline services look like as it navigates these challenges, the partnership is asking North Ayrshire residents, service users, staff, unpaid carers, community groups and care providers to take part in a consultation, where you can share your views and ideas on how best to use the available budget to ensure those most in need are able to receive the care and support they need.

It wants to learn more about which aspects of care are most important to you, the services you think are most integral to people’s care, how much choice people should have in their own care arrangements, who should be prioritised when it comes to accessing services, and whether people who can afford to should contribute to the costs of certain aspects of care.

There are a number of ways you can get involved, both online and in person. The first is an online survey, which will take around 10 mins to complete and can be accessed online until Friday 16 January, 2026. All responses are anonymous.

Paper copies of the survey will be available from North Ayrshire libraries from Friday 12 December, or if anyone needs support to fill in either a paper copy or the online form then they can get in touch with NAHSCP via email.

There will also be locality events across North Ayrshire on the following dates. These will take form of drop-in sessions, where you’ll find more information, have a chance to share your views, and staff will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. There’s no need to book, just go along at a time that suits:

• Fullarton ConneXions, Irvine: Wednesday 7 January, 11am to 2pm
• Kilwinning Sports Centre: Wednesday 7 January, 4pm to 7pm
• Brodick Hall, Arran: Thursday 8 January, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
• Hayocks Community Centre, Stevenston: Tuesday 13 January, 11am to 2pm
• Bridgend Community Centre, Kilbirnie: Wednesday 14 January, 4pm to 7pm
• Clark Memorial Church, Largs: Thursday 15 January, 11am to 2pm

Finally, NAHSCP will be reaching out to a wide range of North Ayrshire community organisations and supports, staff, and care providers for their input.

Published: 05 December 2025