The Health and Social Care Partnership was facing a cash deficit of around £9 million - reduced from an astonishing £17m after the Scottish Government agreed to cover the cost of NHS staff pay awards. Despite a vote, the board insisted cuts to social care had to be made. Yet when neighbouring East Ayrshire Council had a vote on the same decision, councillors pulled back from supporting the move. The report to their IJB in June instead recommended maintaining the current eligibility threshold for adult social care, allowing people assessed as having both “critical” and “substantial” needs to continue receiving funded support. “The likely result would be cost displacement rather than true cost reduction,” the report stated.