Health board lets grass grow in bid to cut costs

A Scottish health board is letting the grass grow outside of its sites to tackle an "unprecedented financial challenge".

NHS Dumfries and Galloway needs to deliver more than £23m in savings.

It has reduced grounds maintenance across its entire estate to cut costs as part of a "wider effort to prioritise and protect patient care".

Interim chief operating officer Nicole Hamlet said the health board would prefer "very neat, well-maintained grounds", but the money came from the "same pot" as all other services.

"Every pound we spend is a pound that's not available for something else at a time when we have to achieve unprecedented financial savings," she said.

"We appreciate the desire to see well-kept grounds and discussions are taking place around how this can be achieved.

"But it is hoped that people appreciate the need to prioritise services which immediately benefit people within the region."

The health board said talks were being held to reduce the costs of ground maintenance but in the meantime the public might notice grass being cut less often than it previously had.