FOI 25-328 Efficiency Savings

Freedom of Information Request

Reference

FOI 25-328 Efficiency Savings

Request Date

30 Jul 2025

Response Date

25 Aug 2025

Information Requested

Thanks for your reply to my FOI request (ref 25 254) about the £12.137 million underspend in the Financial Performance Report presented at the SAS Public Board Meeting on 28 May 2025. I appreciate the general breakdown into pay and non pay savings and the explanation that these were mainly driven by vacancies and planned efficiencies.
That said, I’m still looking for some further detail to understand what these savings have meant in practice. Please let me know whether this can be treated as a continuation of the original request or as a new one.
On the 2030 Strategy, your reply confirms no approved business cases were paused, but it doesn’t say whether any programmes originally expected in 2024 to 2025 were rephased or delayed due to capacity or financial pressures. I’m particularly interested in any changes affecting digital transformation, infection prevention, or community based care.
On staffing, it would be helpful to know the total WTE vacancies, and whether any risk assessments were done to consider the impact on staff or services.
Your reply also refers to Best Value mandates, but no example was provided. If possible, I’d like to see one completed mandate from 2024 to 2025 that assessed impact on staff or patients. If there are any internal reports or committee notes that comment on service risks linked to the underspend, that would also be useful.
Finally, for the non pay savings, I’d like to understand what specific spending was reduced and did the savings result from reduced demand, a smaller scope of service, or new contract terms?
If this information is already published, I’d be grateful if you could point me to it.

Response

On the 2030 Strategy, your reply confirms no approved business cases were paused, but it doesn’t say whether any programmes originally expected in 2024 to 2025 were rephased or delayed due to capacity or financial pressures. I’m particularly interested in any changes affecting digital transformation, infection prevention, or community based care.
No programmes that were originally expected in 2024 or 2025 were delayed due to capacity or financial pressures.

On staffing, it would be helpful to know the total WTE vacancies, and whether any risk assessments were done to consider the impact on staff or services.
Vacancy information is available on Official Statistics on the workforce of NHS Scotland. These vacancies were either as a result of turnover or service redesign. We expect all managers as vacancies arise to consider if this needs to be filled at the same level or if there is an opportunity for redesign. There has never been a directive to hold vacancies as a result of financial targets.

Your reply also refers to Best Value mandates, but no example was provided. If possible, I’d like to see one completed mandate from 2024 to 2025 that assessed impact on staff or patients. If there are any internal reports or committee notes that comment on service risks linked to the underspend, that would also be useful.
The Finance report is discussed as a standard agenda item at the SAS Public Board meeting and Board members seek assurance that delivery of savings does not impact on performance and service delivery. Minutes can be found in the following link Board Papers, A copy of a completed mandate is attached.

Finally, for the non-pay savings, I’d like to understand what specific spending was reduced and did the savings result from reduced demand, a smaller scope of service, or new contract terms?
The SAS annual accounts and finance Board paper will show the expenditure on non-pay and the movements against budget and from the previous year. Savings on non-pay arise from a vast range of areas including those that you have identified for example a reduction in demand from outsourced services in for example fleet; a smaller scope of service if the service delivery model has changed e.g. estates reduced use in suppliers as we have recruited in-house maintenance staff; and new contract terms if the procurement team have negotiated a less than inflation increase. The Service has a continuous improvement approach to reviewing all non-pay costs and seeking ways for these to be reduced.

Response Documents

2023 06 07 Item 2.4) BV Mandate ICT In House Service April 2023 (PDF | 119KB)