NHS Bath and North East Somerset reveals £6m savings plan

Of these, £593k will come from management savings including the restructuring of management of Learning Disability Services; £2.78m will come from efficiency savings, such as reducing the use of agency staff; £1.4m will come from savings on support services and workforce; £900k has been earmarked from income generation and £600k from innovation.

A further £1.9m will come from service redesign as the PCT’s provider arm transfers to a social enterprise under transforming community services.

A report to the board states the savings will result in a “leaner and flatter management structure with responsibility for decision making devolved to front line practitioners wherever this is safe” as well as “greater skill mix within professional groups ensuring that the most highly skilled staff can focus on the more complex requirements of their roles”.

The report also reveals the new social enterprise will seek to acquire new business not only from other geographical areas but also in new areas.

It states: “The integration of children’s social care services will be a key priority target for the social enterprise together with the development of a range of acute care services in the community to avoid the need for hospital admission.”