Community health worker warns budget cuts may cost lives

A community health worker has warned planned cuts to services based in GP surgeries in some of Scotland's poorest communities could cost lives.

Community links workers offer people help across 85 Glasgow medical centres with issues such as housing, benefits, debt and abuse.

Deborah Hamilton told BBC Scotland News the service played a vital role.

But a union has warned a £1.3m budget cut is set to reduce the workforce by a third by April next year.

There are currently 60 community link worker posts in Glasgow, with 52 provided through the city's Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and eight employed by a charity.

However, GMB Scotland said Glasgow HSCP budget cuts of nearly £22m will cut the number to 42.

The role includes helping patients improve their health and wellbeing through the provision of advice, such as how to find community activities.

Ms Hamilton said it was hard to quantify the value of the service provided by her and her colleagues.

She recalled the story of one woman with housing problems who came to see her.

Ms Hamilton explained: "She was sleeping on a two-seater sofa with back ache and neck pain.

"She was coming to her GP for medication, without the GP being aware that she was on a sofa, and actually what she needed was a new house and a bed.

"She had a keen interest in accessing some local services but was too nervous to cross the threshold so I was physically able to take her. Within a year she is embedded in her community and actually helping run that service."

Ms Hamilton added it was "hard to put a number" on the positive impact the support had on the woman and her wider family.

And she fears cutting the number of community link workers could put GPs under more pressure, lead to more presentations at A&E and "ultimately, untimely deaths".

Govan-based GP Dr John Montgomery said the link workers provided a "lifeline to patients".

He said: "I've been around as a doctors for over 36 years and I've seen some really crazy decisions made on healthcare.

"But this one is bordering on irresponsible because of the impact it is going to have on the most vulnerable patients in society during a cost of living crisis."

GMB Scotland, which represents many of the Community Links Practitioners (CLPs) otherwise known as community links workers, has written to Health Secretary Michael Matheson and urged him to intervene and reverse the spending cuts.

Rory Steel, the union's policy and external affairs officer, said the CLPs must be protected, especially after First Minister Humza Yousaf recently committed his government to combatting poverty.

He said: "The CLPs are doing crucial work on the front line of the battle to ease the toll of poverty on health.

"They are working in the most disadvantaged postcodes to help and protect patients at risk.

"We need more of them not less."

Community links workers are employed at health boards across the country but it is only in Glasgow that they are being threatened with cuts.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow HSCP said: "We are only able to agree contracts based on our known income from Scottish government at this time.

"Therefore it is anticipated some practices will see a reduction from a full time to a part-time worker come April next year."

The spokesperson added the HSCP were "committed to the continuation of the community links worker programme" and recognised the "considerable benefits" the service brought to patients.

A Scottish government spokesperson said it was reviewing the delivery of services across the country.