Community health and social care finances are increasingly precarious. Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) must urgently work with their partners in the NHS and councils to reform how they deliver services to achieve financial sustainability.

The Scottish Government and councils must fundamentally rethink how they plan, fund and staff additional support for learning as part of core school education in Scotland.

Since legislation in 2004 to make additional support for learning (ASL) more inclusive, there has been an eight-fold increase in pupils recorded as receiving ASL; currently 40 per cent of Scottish pupils – or 285,000 children – receive ASL. Almost all support is now delivered in mainstream classrooms, and it has become an increasingly central part of what teachers do.

In recent years Fife Council has been able to deliver services without having to make significant savings. But the council has now reached a turning point.

In a new report, the Accounts Commission says Fife Council’s performance in delivering services is mixed. Some services perform well, but inequalities are deepening, including a growing gap in the life expectancy between Fife’s poorer and wealthier areas. Key services such as social care are deteriorating, and the council’s large health and social care overspends are not sustainable.

With high performing services, excellent engagement with local communities and strong relationships with key partners, East Renfrewshire Council is an exemplar to others.

In a new report, the Accounts Commission says there is a real focus on targeting the needs of local people, using data to gain a deeper understanding of communities and the needs of the most vulnerable. The council’s consistently strong performance was delivered despite the challenges of financial pressures.

A lack of leadership has meant the Scottish Government has made minimal progress towards its challenging climate change goal of reducing car use.

In 2020, the Scottish Government said it wanted to reduce car kilometres driven by 20 per cent by 2030 as part of its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, the government has yet to produce a delivery plan for achieving the target, which it is unlikely to meet.

Scotland’s councils continue to face severe financial pressures. The need to consult with communities, clearly communicate the impact on local services, whilst working together to shape and deliver urgently needed transformation, is more important than ever.

Dr Catherine Maclean has joined Audit Scotland’s Board as its first apprentice, under a national programme to train future public sector board members.

Catherine is a consultant in acute medicine at NHS Lanarkshire with over 20 years of experience in healthcare in Scotland. As well as directly treating patients, supporting staff and developing local services, she has worked in clinical governance and in implementing whistleblowing standards. She led the delivery of the first Scottish national conference on raising concerns and whistleblowing in the health service.