Spending Review Nightmare Part I: NHS Staff Cutbacks Despite Tory Election Promises
In yet another example of how Britain was conned by David Cameron’s promise not to cut back on the National Health Service, the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has just announced that at least 1,000 hospital jobs, including those of doctors and nurses, are to end.
The cutbacks are a direct response to the coalition government’s Spending Review, which did not cut funding to the NHS but lowered its annual increase to 0.1 percent above inflation.This is well under annual operating cost increases, many of which (such as the ‘carbon tax’ on emissions and the increased petrol price) are the direct result of government-imposed surcharges.
The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has confirmed to a local newspaper that 200 posts a year will go between now and 2015, a figure which will total a fifth of their total workforce.
According to reports, positions “facing the axe will be 257 jobs from the administration and estates department, 226 from the nursing division, 126 from therapy and diagnostics, 47 doctors, 205 clinical support staff and 13 managers.”
The Trust’s director of human resources and organisational development, Mr Ian Brandwood, admitted to a local newspaper that “some” front-line doctors’ and nurses’ posts would go.
The announcement confirmed the accuracy of the earlier report this week by anti-cuts activist organisation, False Economy, which specifically said that the East Lancashire NHS Trust would soon get right of 1,013 full-time equivalent staff, 50 doctors and dental staff, and 270 nurses, midwives and health visitors.
The budget restrictions will impact more than 50,000 hospital posts nationwide as NHS Trusts struggle to meet the government’s demand of £20 billion of “efficiency savings” over the next five years.
The “savings” mean that the NHS has to trim £4 billion off its expenses each year — a figure which is less than the annual estimated £4.5 billion spent each year fighting the war in Afghanistan.
Once again, the Westminster parties clearly think that fighting an unwinnable war which causes terrorism, is more important that funding healthcare for British people.
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