800 Hospital Jobs Under Threat

Plans to cut 800 NHS staff in North Wales have been described as a “bizarre and backward step” by a campaigner against health service cuts.

The plans, described in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s Finance and Performance Committee as a “workforce remodelling exercise”, say axing 799 full-time equivalent jobs would save £30 million a year.

But Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM, said cutting nurses, doctors and ancillary staff at a time of growing demands on the NHS in the North would only make matters worse.

He said “The board is actively discussing plans to cut the equivalent of 800 full-time jobs, while at the same time acknowledging that staff shortages are causing problems with treating patients and a lengthening waiting list.”

“Unless all 800 are managers, then this would seem like a bizarre and backward step as we all want to see an improved NHS in the North. People are becoming alarmed and angry at the way both the Cardiff Labour Government and Betsi Cadwaladr’s management are imposing a centralising and top-down model on the region. Vital Services such as neonatal care and emergency surgery are being taken away from our district hospitals, community hospitals are being closed without adequate replacements as promised and now there’s this new revelation that 800 jobs could go.”

“Experts will tell you that cutting experienced nursing staff is a false economy. Losing that expertise means poorer care, which in terms can mean patients spending longer in hospital and therefore it’s more expensive for the health board.”

Marc Jones, for the North Wales Health Alliance, which has united local campaign groups, said: “The recent consultation saw a clear rejection of plans to centralise and close key local health services. Despite that, the management pressed ahead regardless. We’re now being told that more staff could be lost, despite the huge pressures to deliver quality care, and it’ll be interesting to see whether front-line staff bear the brunt of any losses. This is the latest in a long line of poor decisions by the board, which has lost the confidence of patients.”

The minutes from last weeks meeting can be viewed on this PDF with the ‘remodelling’ referred to on the 6th page.