NHS scandal as 37,000 jobs go

The Daily Express today exposes a secret government report that predicts a crippling shortage of nurses, paltry pay rises, job cuts and strikes in the NHS.

At least 37,000 jobs are thought to be in danger this year alone as the government seeks to lower the NHS’s wage bill through a 2.7% cut in the workforce.

The leaked document, given to the Health Service Journal, shows that by 2010 there will be a shortage of 14,000 nurses, 1,200 GPs and 1,100 junior doctors. Around 3,200 hospital consultant positions will also have been shelved because the NHS will not be able to pay them.

One solution the document proposes to the crisis of a lack of funds is to prevent young doctors becoming consultants. Instead a cheaper grade of staff called a "sub-consultant", would be created.

It also suggested that nurses could switch to "local" pay scales, which would take more account of the relative worth of the area in which they worked, effectively meaning some nurses could face pay cuts.

Janet Davies of the Royal College of Nursing is quoted saying: "All this at a time when nurses are being made redundant, newly qualified nurses can’t find work and thousands of NHS posts are being lost up and down the country."

Dr Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the BMA’s consultants’ committee is also quoted, saying: "It is absurd to suggest that the NHS needs fewer hospital consultants. To suggest that there should be fewer consultants, and of a lower grade, will destroy the gold standard of specialist care that patients rightly deserve."