Question reference: S6W-23004
- Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 15 November 2023
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on discussions with Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership about community link worker capacity in Glasgow.
Answer
Link Workers provide a vital contribution to patient care and our efforts to address health inequalities. Since we learnt of the risk to services from April 2024, we have engaged extensively, over several months, with Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership.
I am therefore pleased to confirm that we have committed to provide the Partnership with up to £1.2 million to sustain Community Link Worker capacity in Glasgow. This commitment fills a gap in funding that the Partnership had identified. The funding is in addition to the Partnership’s expected Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation in 2024/25 and we have offered the funding on a recurrent basis for three years to offer link worker services a degree of stability.
The Scottish Government are facing significant financial challenges, therefore, this funding announcement underlines just how seriously Ministers have taken this threat to services for some of the country’s poorest communities. It reflects the high value that Ministers place on Community Link Workers, and recognition of the levels of need in Glasgow City.