Grant funding of health voluntary organizations by Scottish health boards

The objective of this study was to identify grant funding of voluntary orga nizations by Scottish health boards in the financial year 1997-1998. Scotti sh health board financial commitments to voluntary organizations were surve yed. Fifteen health board Directors of Finance participated in the study. T he outcome measures were relative and absolute commitments of grant expendi ture to the voluntary sector by health boards in Scotland. Total expenditure of Scotland's 15 health boards ranged from zero to pound 764,910. One health board did not support ally voluntary organizations whil e the greatest number supported by an individual health board was 43. Of he alth boards that made grants to voluntary bodies the range of expenditure p er head of resident population was pound 0.09-pound 3.00p. The average gran t expenditure to voluntary organizations ranged from pound 1,839 to pound 3 0,308. The most substantial funding fell to voluntary bodies within the fie lds of mental health, alcohol and community elderly care. However, there wa s substantial variation between health boards in whether these bodies were funded, and to what extent funding was given. In conclusions, health boards have conflicting practices. in funding volunt ary organizations. Although there may be some variation in the needs of vol untary bodies across health boards, this is unlikely to explain the scale o f the variation. Further work is required to explain this phenomenon and to propose policies for the support of the voluntary sector by the National H ealth Service that are acceptable to both funders and providers of services .