UP to 3,000 NHS workers could lose their jobs because of cash shortfalls in health trusts, nursing leaders warned today.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said 1,000 nurses jobs could go as NHS trusts struggle to balance their books. They said deficits will hit £1bn in this financial year.
But the Department of Health denied the claims, saying nurse numbers were expected to rise.
The RCN, which has been tracking the effects of trust deficits since January, said sources suggested redundancies would hit all nurse grades and experienced specialist nurses and modern matrons could be targeted.
The British Medical Association has also raised concerns about trusts reducing services due to cash shortfalls.
Beverly Malone, general secretary of the RCN, said: "We are putting a spotlight on this issue now before it is too late. Valuable, highly experienced frontline staff could be lost and we simply cannot afford to let this happen.
"It will hit patient services and put even more pressure on the nurses that are left."
Caution
Health Minister Lord Warner said: "Our figures suggest that the NHS is actually planning to increase the number of nurses this year by two per cent.
"Every year there are predictions of huge deficits, but they need to be treated with caution. Past experience has shown that the overall position has improved by year-end."
He said that after hearing the claims, ministers asked their Workforce Development Directors to investigate.
Lord Warner said: "We have received no evidence that trusts are planning to make actual redundancies, though a number of trusts are choosing to close posts when the incumbent retires."
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If the axe fell on all those superfluous "managers" and all those office staff that clog up the car park each week day, yet at weekends, when only nurses are working, and you could hold the scouts annual jamboree on the car park then great. However, this won't happen. The first to go will be the skilled nurses, the essential staff, after all, the decision makers will be the "managers" themselves, and this would be like turkeys voting for christmas. That is where all the extra money that the Government has given to the NHS has gone to, the huge bureaucracy that has been built up over the last 15 years.
Well if there are no jobs for the qualified nurses what is the prospect of us the sudents looking for jobs now or due to graduate very soon. The goverment has sponsored students on 80/20 schemes and now they cannot even gives us the jobs we trained for.
I suppose we will be expected to travel to some third world country for treatment !
We had better book our tickets with Easy Jet now, in order to avoid disappointment.
My God, just what is our country coming to. I hope all you Labour voters are feeling guilty now.
Why do we need to travel to a third world country, wait a bit and well be living in one.
Theere is no point is trying to make the Labour voters feel guilty as most are lobotomised morons who's priorities revolve around getting their dole cheque, what time the pubs open and holidays in Ibiza. Put your self first and forget everyone else its the only way to be successful in Britian at the moment