Plan to axe over 700 nursing jobs slammed
PLANS to cut more than 700 nursing posts as part of a health service efficiency drive have been met with stiff opposition from the Royal College of Nursing and within the Assembly.
The DUP has vowed to "vigorously" oppose the moves announced by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.
The RCN claims the plan will devastate frontline care and have insisted that more nurses are needed, not less.
The proposals are part of an overall strategy to reduce the number of people employed in the Health Service by 2,500 over the next three years.
Mr McGimpsey said the plans were not cuts, but efficiency savings and pointed to 700 million of savings which he is expected to make over the next three years.
Scores of residential homes also face closure.
He said he has no choice but to implement the moves to make the savings of three per cent over the next three years demanded under the budget.
He said: "I want to first make it clear that I plan to avoid compulsory redundancies as these posts will be reduced through turnover in the workforce.
"I also want to assure everyone that no nurse will be able to come out of the health service until new services are in place.
"Patient safety must come first."
The Royal College of Nursing did not accept Mr McGimpsey's assurances.
RCN Northern Ireland director Mary Hinds said: "We would be concerned that patient care could suffer as a result of these substantial cuts to nursing posts and that some of the most vulnerable members of our communities could be affected.
"We need to be clear that this is not natural wastage; these are real cuts in our nursing workforce."
She said cutting the number of nurses was not the way forward for the health service.
"Nurses are the backbone of the health service and any cut in the number of nurses will affect everyone.
"I hope that today's debate has been a reality check for everyone about the impact of losing 343 million pounds from our health budget.
"We appreciate that the minister has difficult decisions to make, but drastically cutting the numbers of nurses in the health service is quite simply not the answer."
The DUP's Iris Robinson, who is chair of the Stormont Health Committee, vowed that her party would vigorously oppose the plans.
She said: "Rather than damaging the delivery of frontline health services, it would be better for everyone if the minister initiated a serious efficiency drive aimed at reducing unnecessary wastefulness within the Health Service.
"A departmental budget which includes tens of millions for travel expenses, paying for artwork and bonuses is not one in which we cannot find savings.
"People would expect the minister's focus to be on saving money by looking at those lines of expenditure rather than laying-off nurses and closing care homes for older people.
"The DUP has tabled a motion which will be debated in the House on February 23 calling for the proposed closure of elderly care homes to be halted," she said.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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