North Yorkshire Council faces losing millions of pounds in vital funding - our response
North Yorkshire Council expects to lose out on money to the tune of £25 million this year, and things are expected to get worse over the next three years, with gaps in the budget reaching £105 million.
The shortfall is happening despite efforts to save money by merging smaller councils into one and creating agreements with the government to bring in more funding and authority (devolution). However, the financial pressures, caused by rising costs and increased demand for services, are larger than expected and remain a serious challenge.
At Healthwatch North Yorkshire, we work to amplify the voices of people using NHS healthcare and North Yorkshire Council's social care services. Our sole purpose is to champion what works well and make care better when it's not. We are deeply concerned about the prospect of North Yorkshire Council losing vital funding - and the impact on our people.
The landscape of healthcare and access
North Yorkshire is the largest county in England, with over 618,000 people scattered across a huge area. Only eight of our towns have a population of more than 10,000, and in much of the county, there are just 76 people per square mile compared with the English average of 430.
85% of North Yorkshire is classed as ‘super-sparse’ or very rural. This means most people live in smaller communities – making access to services, isolation, and transport key issues for us.
Limited public transport, difficulties accessing healthcare, and social isolation are recurring issues that are only exacerbated by poor connectivity, including unreliable phone signals and patchy Wi-Fi coverage.
Any reduction in funding threatens to deepen these challenges and further disadvantage our communities.
The healthcare experiences we hear most about
Through our work, we consistently hear from people about their struggles with key aspects of the health and care system:
- NHS dentistry: Many people report being unable to register with an NHS dentist or access timely appointments, leaving them in pain or resorting to costly private care or 'DIY' dentistry (pulling out their own teeth!).
- Hospital waiting times: Long delays for treatment are causing frustration and, in some cases, worsening health outcomes.
- GP access: Difficulty getting through to GP practices by phone and securing appointments continues to be a significant worry.
- Mental health services: Accessing mental health support is a growing problem, with people often waiting months or even years for critical services, adding strain on emergency services and risks serious harm to people.
Our call for more to be done
These issues highlight the importance of sustainable funding for North Yorkshire Council (and others). They play a crucial role in enabling the infrastructure and services that underpin access to healthcare and social care. Reduced funding risks widening existing health inequalities and undermining efforts to address the needs of our rural communities.
We urge decision-makers to recognise the specific challenges faced by rural counties like North Yorkshire. We call for funding models that reflect the additional costs and complexities of delivering services in sparsely populated, geographically large areas. These challenges cannot be ignored if we are to ensure equitable access to health and social care for all.
At Healthwatch North Yorkshire, we remain committed to working alongside residents, service providers, and policymakers to find solutions that improve health and care for everyone in our county. We stand ready to contribute evidence (feedback from our public) and insights to ensure that the voices of our communities are heard in these critical discussions.
Recommendations
We ask the Government and decision-makers to:
- Prioritise essential services
Allocate funding to safeguard critical health and social care services, particularly those addressing dental care, mental health, hospital treatment, and GP access. These services are vital for maintaining community health and well-being. - Enhance rural infrastructure
Advocate for investments in improving transport links and digital connectivity, such as reliable phone and Wi-Fi services, to combat isolation and enable access to remote healthcare services. - Develop community-based solutions
Support initiatives that enable local communities to take on greater roles in service delivery, such as mobile healthcare units or local hubs for mental health support (still unclear on the launch/details of these) - Work with other organisations
Partner with healthcare providers, charities, and other voluntary organisations to pool resources and deliver services more efficiently, allocating more funding to those charities and volunteers to be able to continue to deliver help locally and not have to fold or cutback on their crucial offering to people. - Advocate for fair funding models
Push for funding formulas that consider the higher costs of providing services in rural, sparsely populated areas, ensuring equitable resource distribution across the county. - Involve people decision-making and act
Work closely with the community to identify priorities through surveys or public forums, ensuring funding cuts align with local needs and preferences. Act on the feedback to avoid "survey fatigue" and people feeling nothing ever changes. - Monitor and report impacts
Regularly assess and publicly report on how funding reductions affect health and social care outcomes, using this evidence to make a strong case for additional resources if necessary.
These actions could help mitigate the impact of funding cuts and ensure that vital health and care services remain accessible for North Yorkshire's rural communities.
