Recognising that some of the best ideas come from staff, we asked you to put on your thinking caps and come up with suggestions to save money. The response has been fantastic and a number of common themes and ideas have been shared with the Area Partnership Forum. The individual suggestions are also being explored by each of our Directorates as part of their wider savings plans. One of the key aspects of the plan was to let you know what is happening. Here are some of the results.
Switching off paper payslips
A number of staff suggested replacing paper payslips with an electronic payslip. This was implemented in October 2017 for the majority of staff and there are plans to transfer remaining staff during 2018. The transfer will save the organisation around £25,000 through reduced paper, printing and postage costs.
Reduced Corridor Lighting at Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Many staff asked if the lighting in Forth Valley Royal Hospital could be adjusted to help save money. As a result, lighting levels have been reduced by 50% in the hospital corridors which will generate an annual saving of £24,000. Further work is planned to review sensor timings which automatically switch off lights where no activity is detected.
Postage
There were a number of suggestions to reduce the expenditure on postage. A new first class post protocol has been established which sets out those exceptional cases where the use of first class post is appropriate. This is in place and, together with a national price reduction, will reduce postage costs by £30,000.
Sexual Health Evening Clinics
The Sexual Health Clinic has evening clinics running three times per week. It was proposed that by adjusting the clinic hours in the evening to close at 8.00pm instead of 8.30pm would remove the need to pay unsocial hours payments. A saving of £3,000 has been achieved.
Taxis
There has been an increase in the use of scheduled runs using the Board’s own transport fleet and this, combined with a focus on agreed criteria for taxi use, will generate a reduction of £30,000.
Reducing Travel Costs
Having pool cars was raised. This is being partially met by the introduction of the Enterprise Car Club with vehicles placed at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, and more recently Falkirk Community Hospital.
Recycling Bins
Savings through waste and recycling were a consistent theme. Estates and Facilities staff are reviewing a number of proposals around waste management, one of which will allow for recycling bins to be introduced in place of the current generic waste bins. Potential savings are being assessed as part of this.
