SCOTTISH Borders Council and NHS Borders have been criticised for cutting funding to the Borderline mental health service.

As we revealed last week the Galashiels-based service will be left without funding during 2020.

Since being set up in 1999, Borderline has handled more than 90,000 calls, despite the phone lines only being open from 7pm till 10pm each night.

However, NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council has withdrawn funding from the service, saying that other alternative options are available.

At a meeting of Scottish Borders Council on Thursday Kelso councillor Euan Robson, who represented Roxburgh and Berwickshire at Holyrood between 1999 and 2007, asked the local authority’s ruling executive: “Who took the decision to terminate the funding for Borderline Helpline and for what reasons, and is any replacement service being set up?”

Fellow Kelso councillor Tom Weatherston, who acts as the ruling executive’s member for adult social care, replied: “The decision to stop funding Borderline was jointly taken by NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council, at the executive management team meeting.

“The health and social care joint organisation, with significant financial pressures in mind, reviewed its funding for this organisation.

“Consideration was given to a quality and impact assessment, and the external review of commissioned services, including Borderline.

“Although Borderline provides a good quality service, there are now alternative national helplines, such as Breathing Space and the Samaritans, as well as the local mental health and crisis team, and so we have reached the difficult decision to end the contract with six months notice.

“We’d also like to highlight the other areas of prevention services in which we have invested, such as the local area coordination team, the Wellbeing College, and the wellbeing service.

“In addition, we have also been working with primary care services to provide a comprehensive primary care mental health service, which is available directly to patients from GP practices across the Scottish Borders.

“We will work hard with Borderline to find alternative sources of funding, and we are working hard with them to develop a transition plan.”

Councillor Robson asked a follow up question, telling the chamber: “I appreciate that councillor Weatherston was not particularly involved in this decision, but would he agree with me that it’s nothing short of a disgrace that an organisation, partly staffed by volunteers, that’s handled 90,000 calls from people in vulnerable situations for 20 years, and is open 365 days a year, has its funding withdrawn without prior consultation?

“And worse still, it was allegedly informed that there is no right of appeal.

Would he further accept that Borderline helping people in distress at a cost of £78,000 per annum actually saves resources elsewhere in the health and social care system, and this decision is therefore a false economy?

“Will he further agree that some of the alternative provision mentioned does not fill the gap that Borderline occupies?

“And finally, would he, or someone else, therefore convene a meeting in the new year to find a way to save this service for the Borders community?”

To which councillor Weatherston replied: “I won’t use the word disgrace, I’ll use the word disappointment.

"As the chief executive has said today, we face huge financial challenges.

“Borderline is a great service, but there is now a 24-hour, seven days a week service set up and funded by the NHS.

“No one is in dispute that this is a great service, but we don’t have the funds to keep it going, unfortunately. We’ve looked at other options, and the options available to people in the Borders now are really good.

“This service is open for three hours a night, seven days a week. The alternative service is 24/7, so there are other alternatives.

“We’re working hard with the group to source other funding, but I’m sorry we have no other option.”