Disability services review launched in Aberdeen amid £2.6m overspend

A review of learning disability services in Aberdeen is being launched to find a way forward following a £2.6m overspend last year.

The service is facing increasing demand due to a rise in the number of people requiring support.

Staff sickness levels are also said to have increased due to workload.

The Aberdeen Integrated Joint Board is bringing in a team of external experts at a cost of about £90,000 to review the service over 12 weeks.

A report said more people of all ages with complex needs were living longer, putting pressure on services and staff.

'Invest any efficiencies'

The report said staff sickness levels had increased over the past two years and this was linked to team workloads.

In 2017, there were 281 absence days, with 42% being attributed to psychological reasons and stress. In 2018 the corresponding figures were 381 days, and 54%.

Alex Stephen, the board's chief finance officer, told BBC Scotland of the need for the review. He said: "In terms of our learning disability services, we've got increasing demand, more clients coming through.

"And we've also got an increasing complexity in the conditions that the clients have.

"So we have invested in order to review our processes and procedures to see if we can reduce bureaucracy so we can invest any efficiencies that we get from that back into the service."

The Unison union said it did not wish to comment at this stage. The GMB and Unite unions have also been approached for comment.