IJB agrees balanced budget for 2026/27 and launch of new Adult Carer Strategy
The Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) met today and agreed a balanced revenue budget of £478.98 million for 2026/27. The IJB also approved the Aberdeenshire Adult Carer Strategy 2025–2030.
Despite significant financial pressures facing health and social care services locally and nationally, the budget for the next financial year seeks to protect frontline services, maintain safe and sustainable care, and support those with the greatest need across Aberdeenshire.
The budget is funded through contributions from NHS Grampian (£257.7m) Aberdeenshire Council (£179.1m), Large Hospital Set Aside (£28.4m) and additional, one-off, partner funding totalling £13.8m.
To achieve a balanced position, the budget includes £5.72 million in planned savings, focused on redesign, improvement, and longterm sustainability rather than reductions in essential services.
Chair of the Aberdeenshire IJB, Cllr Anne Stirling, said: “This budget represents a commitment from both NHS Grampian and Aberdeenshire Council to invest in community Health & Social Care services.
“We will be investing over £450m in community health and social care services across Aberdeenshire this coming financial year and it is for us to ensure that we maximise every pound of that investment to ensure the outcomes people need.
“We hear regularly from people across Aberdeenshire how much they value the services we provide and how important it is to them for us to protect local service delivery. This budget, with the additional funding from both partners, allows the Aberdeenshire HSCP to protect local services and focus on redesigning services to meet future need”
Like many Integration Joint Boards across Scotland, the IJB enters the new financial year with no reserves, making strong financial discipline essential.
Members of the IJB asked the Chief Officer, Leigh Jolly, to continue to ensure financial grip and control through strengthened financial monitoring and regular reporting on progress.
Vice Chair of the IJB, John Tomlinson, said: “Over the last financial year we have seen greater financial grip and control, and we have asked that the Chief Officer and her team to maintain this good work.”
“In light of increasing need across our population we want to be sure that we are investing our resources in the right places now and in the future and this budget allows us to do that.
“To continue delivering highquality support, the system must change how services are designed and delivered. The proposed budget prioritises modernisation, efficiency, and smarter use of resources, allowing teams to maintain safe services while adapting for future needs.”
Protecting Frontline Services
The largest areas of planned expenditure include:
- Older People’s Care Management – £87.8m
(Care at Home and Care Home placements responding to increasing complexity) - Adult Community Care – £67.7m
- Community Hospitals – £23m
- Primary Care – £52.1m
- Community Prescribing – £57.9m
Wherever possible, the budget protects frontline services and essential care. Savings are targeted at efficiencies rather than cutting support to individuals.
Key Savings Proposals
Savings totalling £5.72 million include:
- £1.0m – Prescribing efficiencies
- £1.0m – Service redesign to reduce duplication and improve productivity
- £700k – Learning Disability Resource Allocation Review
- £600k – Community Hospital efficiency improvements
- £500k – Reduced locum usage through improved recruitment and retention
- £250k – Older People / Physical Disability budget review, including expanding technology-enabled care
Further smaller savings include reduced agency use, vacancy management, estate rationalisation, and improving the use of digital tools.
The IJB also approved the final draft of the Aberdeenshire Adult Carer Strategy, which will launch in April 2026.
The five-year strategy has been shaped by extensive engagement with unpaid carers, which ran between July and September 2025. This included local drop-ins, online surveys, carer cafes, and paper consultations.
Unpaid Carers told the partnership they need:
- Earlier recognition of their caring role
- Better access to emotional support and advice
- More flexible breaks from caring
- Clearer communication and involvement in decision-making
- Support that is accessible across rural communities
The strategy focuses on four key priorities:
- Identifying Carers Earlier
- Providing the Right Support at the Right Time
- Valuing and Involving Carers
- Enabling Breaks from Caring
The strategy reflects the experiences and voices of carers across Aberdeenshire and sets out a commitment to working with carers as equal partners in care.
Chief Officer for the Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership, Leigh Jolly, said: “Unpaid Carers are the backbone of health and social care, providing love and support to their loved ones every day. And it is not only a legal, but a moral, duty that we in turn recognise the incredible work they do and make accessing support as easy as possible.
“This Strategy will support us to ensure that we recognise Unpaid Carers as partners in the care of their loved one and ensure that they are involved in decisions and recognised by professionals for the vital role they play.”