Two more hospitals announced job cuts yesterday, as they struggled to balance their books, reports the Daily Telegraph.
The decision by Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service trust in east London to shed 650 staff and by Barnsley District Hospital to cut 150 jobs, brings the total announced this week to more than 1,300.
Earlier the Norfolk and Norwich, and the Weston Hospital at Weston-super-Mare announced cuts of 450 and 60 respectively.
A job survey by the Royal College of Nursing estimates that 13,000 are to be cut, of which a third will affect nurses. Trusts say that staff turnover will account for most of the cuts with redundancies used as a last resort.
The latest announcements came as the health select committee said it was launching an inquiry into the scale of the financial problems affecting the NHS.
Saturday, 29 April 2006
Thursday, 27 April 2006
Angry nurses drown out minister
Infuriated nurses stopped Patricia Hewitt in her tracks yesterday as they interrupted her speech and demanded their voices be heard.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Health Secretary, who was addressing the Royal College of Nursing conference in Bournemouth, had been met by more than 2,000 stony faces, a sea of white and yellow campaign T-shirts, and a welcome somewhere between cool and frigid.
"Put your speech away," shouted the nurses as Miss Hewitt, almost repeating the address she had made to Unison in Monday, said she would help any nurses made redundant to get new jobs. "Where? Where?" they yelled.
About 15 minutes into her speech, the nurses, who had already interrupted her with derisive laughter, cries of "rubbish", "resign" and the stamping of hundreds of feet, had finally had enough.
There would be more arguments and controversy in the coming year, Miss Hewitt was saying as the shouting spread, the crescendo of stamping grew, and she was finally drowned out.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Health Secretary, who was addressing the Royal College of Nursing conference in Bournemouth, had been met by more than 2,000 stony faces, a sea of white and yellow campaign T-shirts, and a welcome somewhere between cool and frigid.
"Put your speech away," shouted the nurses as Miss Hewitt, almost repeating the address she had made to Unison in Monday, said she would help any nurses made redundant to get new jobs. "Where? Where?" they yelled.
About 15 minutes into her speech, the nurses, who had already interrupted her with derisive laughter, cries of "rubbish", "resign" and the stamping of hundreds of feet, had finally had enough.
There would be more arguments and controversy in the coming year, Miss Hewitt was saying as the shouting spread, the crescendo of stamping grew, and she was finally drowned out.
Thursday, 20 April 2006
Oxfordshire: NHS merger plans to combat debts
Plans for a major reorganisation of Oxfordshire's health service threaten months of upheaval at a time when the NHS is grappling with massive debts - reports the Abingdon Herald.
The Thames Valley Health Authority, faced with presiding over job cuts as the size of its deficit grows weekly, is to be abolished.
Instead, it will form part of a giant new strategic NHS authority, which will also include Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The news comes as the size of the budget deficit facing the Thames Valley authority is estimated as being anything between £35m and £82m.
Mark Ladbrooke, chairman of Unison's Oxfordshire Health branch, said the union had unsuccessfully fought for a postponement of cuts in wards and community hospitals during the consultation on the reorganisation.
The Thames Valley Health Authority, faced with presiding over job cuts as the size of its deficit grows weekly, is to be abolished.
Instead, it will form part of a giant new strategic NHS authority, which will also include Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The news comes as the size of the budget deficit facing the Thames Valley authority is estimated as being anything between £35m and £82m.
Mark Ladbrooke, chairman of Unison's Oxfordshire Health branch, said the union had unsuccessfully fought for a postponement of cuts in wards and community hospitals during the consultation on the reorganisation.
Wednesday, 19 April 2006
Harrogate: Foundation hospital planning cuts
Harrogate Hospital has revealed plans for major cost cuts this year, reports the BBC.
The hospital trust, which has forecast a deficit of between £4.2m and £9.2m, said it wanted to cut beds and surgery, but had no immediate plans to axe jobs. A disabled rehabilitation unit would also close under the plans.
Finance Director Jonathan Coulter said it had been hit by local primary care trust (PCT) plans to cut the amount of work given to the hospital by £7m.
A cost-cutting programme is being prepared that will generate savings of £4.5m.
Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Phil Willis (Lib Dem) raised the issue in the House of Commons and said: "Why should my constituents suffer for failures elsewhere in the system and above all for government meddling."
In fact his constituents are suffering because of the sheer scale of public money draining away to the audit-failing and serially wasteful European Union – a process which Mr Willis fully supports.
Indeed, Mr Willis has yet to indicate that he will oppose Mr Blair’s further generous gift to the EU of an extra £2.5bn a year of public money.
Unless Mr Willis acts to prevent such obvious waste and unjustified spending, by voting against the new EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament, he cannot be surprised that there is little money left for his local hospital. And his constituents will know who to blame for that situation.
The hospital trust, which has forecast a deficit of between £4.2m and £9.2m, said it wanted to cut beds and surgery, but had no immediate plans to axe jobs. A disabled rehabilitation unit would also close under the plans.
Finance Director Jonathan Coulter said it had been hit by local primary care trust (PCT) plans to cut the amount of work given to the hospital by £7m.
A cost-cutting programme is being prepared that will generate savings of £4.5m.
Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Phil Willis (Lib Dem) raised the issue in the House of Commons and said: "Why should my constituents suffer for failures elsewhere in the system and above all for government meddling."
In fact his constituents are suffering because of the sheer scale of public money draining away to the audit-failing and serially wasteful European Union – a process which Mr Willis fully supports.
Indeed, Mr Willis has yet to indicate that he will oppose Mr Blair’s further generous gift to the EU of an extra £2.5bn a year of public money.
Unless Mr Willis acts to prevent such obvious waste and unjustified spending, by voting against the new EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament, he cannot be surprised that there is little money left for his local hospital. And his constituents will know who to blame for that situation.
NHS can't afford drug that transforms lives
A row over a "breakthrough" treatment for diabetes broke out yesterday as it was rejected for NHS use by the Government’s drug watchdog on the grounds that it was not cost effective.
The new product, insulin that is inhaled, could transform the lives of sufferers, who have to inject insulin up to five times a day. However, it costs about £500 a year more per patient, reports The Times.
This latest example of "drug rationing" came as Tony Blair insisted that the NHS was not facing disaster despite thousands of job losses and cutbacks in expensive treatments as a result of a financial squeeze.
The new product, insulin that is inhaled, could transform the lives of sufferers, who have to inject insulin up to five times a day. However, it costs about £500 a year more per patient, reports The Times.
This latest example of "drug rationing" came as Tony Blair insisted that the NHS was not facing disaster despite thousands of job losses and cutbacks in expensive treatments as a result of a financial squeeze.
Thursday, 13 April 2006
Birmingham: Hundreds of hospital jobs to go
The BBC reports today that hundreds of hospital jobs are being axed by a West Midlands health trust.
At a budget meeting of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust it was decided to cut up to 800 jobs at its three Birmingham and Black Country sites.
The trust runs City, Sandwell and Rowley Regis hospitals and needs to save up to £20m in the next year. This deficit is barely two days worth of our contributions to the EU budget at the newly agreed level of £115 million a week.
Auditors haven't been able to explain for eleven years running where that money paid to the EU then goes to, so wouldn't it be better to use it to save these hospital jobs instead?
The cuts are the latest in a series of job losses in English hospitals, which began with up to 1,000 being cut in neighbouring Staffordshire in March.
John Adler, chief executive of the Trust said, ""I think it's a little bit rash to say that patients will notice no change at all".
At a budget meeting of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust it was decided to cut up to 800 jobs at its three Birmingham and Black Country sites.
The trust runs City, Sandwell and Rowley Regis hospitals and needs to save up to £20m in the next year. This deficit is barely two days worth of our contributions to the EU budget at the newly agreed level of £115 million a week.
Auditors haven't been able to explain for eleven years running where that money paid to the EU then goes to, so wouldn't it be better to use it to save these hospital jobs instead?
The cuts are the latest in a series of job losses in English hospitals, which began with up to 1,000 being cut in neighbouring Staffordshire in March.
John Adler, chief executive of the Trust said, ""I think it's a little bit rash to say that patients will notice no change at all".
Cash crisis deepens for NHS trust
More than 60 beds across the Fylde's hospitals are set to stay closed as an NHS trust grapples with a potential £22 million deficit - reports the Blackpool Citizen.
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust will reopen Rossall Hospital but close wards at South Shore and Clifton to save £2m, while three other wards will remain closed until autumn at least in the latest proposed reorganisation.
And trust chiefs have also revealed that this year's deficit could be even bigger than had previously been reported because the trust had, in the past, relied on one-off income including land sales to help balance the books.
The wards affected are wards three and four at Clifton Hospital (inpatient rehabilitation) to be relocated to Rossall Hospital; Ward four and five, South Shore Hospital (ortho geriatric) to be relocated to Ward three and Ward four Clifton Hospital; Ward one, South Shore Hospital (nurse led ward) to be relocated to Bispham Hospital Rehabilitation Unit; South Shore Day Hospital to be relocated to Rossall Hospital Rehabilitation Unit.
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust will reopen Rossall Hospital but close wards at South Shore and Clifton to save £2m, while three other wards will remain closed until autumn at least in the latest proposed reorganisation.
And trust chiefs have also revealed that this year's deficit could be even bigger than had previously been reported because the trust had, in the past, relied on one-off income including land sales to help balance the books.
The wards affected are wards three and four at Clifton Hospital (inpatient rehabilitation) to be relocated to Rossall Hospital; Ward four and five, South Shore Hospital (ortho geriatric) to be relocated to Ward three and Ward four Clifton Hospital; Ward one, South Shore Hospital (nurse led ward) to be relocated to Bispham Hospital Rehabilitation Unit; South Shore Day Hospital to be relocated to Rossall Hospital Rehabilitation Unit.
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