Almost 27,000 NHS posts in the UK are already earmarked for cuts, with almost 18,000 in England alone, the Royal College of Nursing has revealed. This is more than three times the number of posts identified by the RCN in England in April, and could leave patients vulnerable and services at risk. The loss of 26,841 staff is the equivalent of closing almost six hospitals the size of the Royal Free in London, or nine hospitals the size of Alder Hey in Liverpool.
While spending on health is said to be “ring fenced”, nurses on the ground have told the RCN that they have been seeing major staff reductions begin in earnest, even before the comprehensive spending review confirmed the plan to save £20 billion by 2014. The RCN is concerned that fewer staff are being expected to deal with an ever increasing number of patients, often with very complex needs. The college warned that this situation could reach crisis point due to cuts in local government and social care.
Dr Peter Carter, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said: “We understand that the Government wants to protect frontline services and that these are extremely difficult times. However, we have established that what the Department of Health is being told and what the public is being told is often far removed from the evidence on the ground. Right now, staff are not only concerned about losing their jobs, they are concerned about keeping services open and how they will cope if they stay. The mood at the moment suggests that it is two minutes to midnight for the NHS, and action to avert a crisis is needed now.
“Even when asked questions under the Freedom of Information Act, Trusts are omitting to mention advanced plans to cut staffing numbers. The alleged protection of the health service is proving in practice to be a myth, and patients and services are not insulated from cuts.
“The deficits crisis in 2006 saw a loss of 22,000 posts, taking skills and experience with them. The fact that we have gone from 5000 posts at risk in April to almost 27,000 in October demonstrates how fast this situation is moving, and I would urge Trusts to carry out a proper impact assessment before making any changes to services. We also recommend to all managers that they prioritise safe staffing levels when they are looking for ways to save money.”
