Arran Banner Leader: Between a rock and a hard place

This week’s cover story and letters page shows that proposed and contentious cuts to Arran’s health and social care offering remains a bone of contention that is not dissipating. On the one hand it is understandable that funding is limited and these services are expensive, on the other, a reduction in services will have life-changing implications for the most vulnerable in society, the infirm and elderly.

The idiom, between a rock and a hard place, seems apt - a dilemma where one must choose between two equally unpleasant, difficult, or undesirable options.

As is often the source of an amicable agreement or resolution, perhaps the solution is to be found in the middle ground with compromises on both side. NAHSCP could do what it may possibly wish to avoid: complete a full audit on its expenditure, including wastage, unnecessary expenses, excessive salaries, or even consolidating resources. While service users can prioritise their needs and investigate where cuts can be best accommodated or financed via alternative sources.

It is clear that efforts will need to me made on both sides and that one side bearing the entire burden will be disastrous.