Health bosses on NHS Highland board could ask for £11m Scottish Government bailout and admits uncertainty about Covid-19 coronavirus-related costs
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NHS Highland board members will be asked to request an £11 million Scottish Government bailout tomorrow.
A financial update shows a £10.9 million overspend for 2019/20.
David Garden, NHS Highland's director of finance, said £28 million of savings had been made during the year.
He has also told the board to be aware of uncertainty around the financial impact of Covid-19, and indicated there would be a need for regular updates as the coronavirus issue becomes more apparent.
Mr Garden stated: "Given the current uncertainty around when services will return to normal and what the new normal may look like, it would be inappropriate to take decisions on investments in service developments at this time until there is further clarity."
He added: "The financial impact of Covid-19 will be significant and controls are in place to ensure that appropriate additional costs are captured and reported to government.
"It must be recognised however, that establishing the overall financial impact is extremely complex and will take some time to fully work through. In the meantime, NHS boards have little alternative than to assume that additional funding will cover the additional costs incurred, until clarity of funding and costs is ascertained."
