UNIONS have warned of a "summer of discontent" over job losses and cutbacks in the NHS, including threats of industrial action over the Government's health reforms.

Health unions representing doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and other health workers said they were committed to a major campaign against the "breakneck" pace of change.

A lobby of Parliament is being planned for October and there will be rallies and demonstrations across the UK as well as fringe meetings at the TUC Congress and Labour Party annual conference in September.

Workers in NHS Logistics are already gearing up to vote over strikes in protest at their jobs being transferred to a private firm, and there could be other ballots.

Unison said it was "shocked" at the scale of recent job cuts, including several hundred in Sunderland and Sussex last week.

"It looks as though we are heading for a summer of discontent, with sadly more job losses on the way," said the union's head of health Karen Jennings.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the pace and direction of reform in the NHS had not won the support of staff.

"Health unions support reform that delivers better patient care, but too many current changes seem to be driven by an ideological preference for the private sector and will not benefit patients.

"There can be no doubt that there have been big improvements in the NHS under this Government. But the Government's relentless changes and preference for privatisation is causing growing frustration among staff who want the NHS to succeed, but think their views have not been taken into account.

"Unless ministers listen to those working in the front-line and work in partnership with those they rely on to deliver change, they risk undermining the principles on which the NHS has been built and they throw away the chance to take the credit that is due to them for extra funding and better patient care." Tweet