Nurse union condemns NHS job cuts

Nurses' leaders say patients are being harmed by job cuts in the profession caused by continuing NHS deficits, the BBC reports.

The Royal College of Nursing, whose conference opened on Sunday, claims that 22,300 NHS posts have been lost in England in the past 18 months.

Specialist nurses are said to have been particularly hard hit.

In its report Our NHS - Today and Tomorrow, the union said the health service was facing a debt crisis that was "real and entrenched".

The RCN study, compiled from reports by members and NHS board papers, said trusts had been forced to shed 22,300 posts through a combination of redundancies, recruitment freezes and post closures.

The financial crisis was also hitting patient care, the study claimed.

However the Department of Health claimed that the actual number of compulsory redundancies was 1,446 - of which only 303 were clinical positions, such as doctors or nurses.

RCN general secretary Dr Peter Carter said he stood by the RCN's figures.

"The deficits issue is not history - it is real, entrenched and continues to hit patient care, services and jobs.

"Yes, the NHS achieved overall financial balance last year - but at what cost?"

He added: "This is hitting services, hurting patients, undermining staff morale and threatening the hard-won progress made over recent years."

The RCN claims specialist nurses, which have been trained to provide expert care in areas such as diabetes and heart disease and have a range of enhanced powers like prescribing, had been particularly effected.

A poll of 807 specialist nurses for the report found one in five were facing a risk of redundancy, while half were aware of cuts in their specialist area.

June James, who has been working as a specialist diabetes nurse for the last 12 years, said: "Posts are being downgraded and services cut. I think it shows a lack of respect for the job we do."

Michael Summers, from the Patients Association, told BBC Five Live that callers to his organisation's helpline said there were "not enough nurses to go round" and patients were "in fear of infections".

"What is clear is that those who leave are not being replaced," he said.

The RCN, which represents 400,000 nurses, published its report to kick start its annual conference in Harrogate.