Charities trying to tackle some of Scotland’s worst health problems say they are struggling to work productively with the NHS.

A survey published today reveals almost 40% find it difficult to assist the Scottish health service, even though services are stretched and partnership working is required by law.

One organisation spoke of the NHS paying “lip service” to the voluntary sector.

Another said they were locked in a power battle with public bodies because of shortages of funding.

Voluntary Health Scotland, which represents more than 300 voluntary and community groups, commissioned the research. Well-known bodies including the British Red Cross, Barnardo’s and Age Concern Scotland took part.

The study focused on the drive to improve the health of the population and keep people out of hospital. This is the principal aim of Community Health Partnerships (CHPs), which bring together NHS, council and other workers in an area to manage community health care.

A London-based organisation which specialises in tackling gang culture has been hired in Glasgow to help the city get a handle on its own problems of conflict and violence among young people.

HEARTS FC have teamed up with a council’s youth justice team to tackle young offending in the region.

Aberdeen City Council’s decision to make £27m of cuts as well as a council tax freeze has led to angry reaction.

Funding is being withdrawn from several care organisations, and social work services, sports centres and libraries will also be affected. The art deco Bon Accord Baths – the city’s oldest pool – is to close down, as is the children’s farm at Doonies.

Kate Dean, leader of the Lib Dem and SNP administration, admitted they had been faced with difficult choices.

She told BBC Scotland: “This is not what any of us came in to local government to do. “Some hard decisions have had to be made. We have tried to provide as much as we can.”

The level of council tax was frozen, as it was in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland. However, Aberdeen’s opposition Labour leader Len Ironside did not accept the administration’s arithmetic.

HUNDREDS of jobs will be lost to ensure the SNP election commitment to freeze council tax is met, it emerged yesterday, as more than half of Scotland’s local authorities announced their budgets.

LAST year, more than 3000 calls were made to the Fife Domestic and Sexual Abuse Partnership, most of which involved children in some way.

Scotland’s prison population has reached an all-time high, according to the latest figures. A total of 7609 prisoners were in custody last Friday, around 1000 above capacity and nearly 20% more than 10 years ago.

A service that aims to tackle ill-health in Scotland’s workplaces was launched in Dundee yesterday.

FOUR Chinese women trafficked into Scotland by gangs to work in the sex industry have been found during a series of raids by police.

A major charity for carers and users of community care services in the Highlands has warned that it will close if local authority funding is withdrawn.