A SIGNIFICANT increase in demand for Looked After Children is placing extreme pressure on the Western Trust’s efforts to contain its overspend before the end of the financial year. As the end of March rapidly approaches the Trust’s latest Financial Report has projected a year end deficit of £11.168 million, achieved only thanks to £8.5 million in additional non-recurring funding received from the June Monitoring round and a further allocation in September of £2.2 million. According to the Trust’s Financial Report, a financial assessment was completed in September on the impact of the increase in Looked After Children, amounting to £2.1 million. 
This is reflected in the projected year end deficit, however, as the report states, demand for Looked After Children services are increasing all the time, a reality which has not been factored into the projected year end deficit.
The number of Looked After Children increased from 555 to 594 from April 2016 to January this year.
“The figures include three new expensive independent provider packages, 18 new private agency placements and the remainder are new fostercare and kinship scheme placements, a high number of which are specialist placements,” according to the Trust’s latest Financial Report.
As an ongoing trend, there are also continued financial pressures in unscheduled care, primarily due to the use of additional medical agency and nursing staff to support the safe delivery of services.
This is a particular problem in South West Acute Hospital as well as Surgery and Anaesthetics.