Assembly rejects nursing post cuts
Published: 21 April 2009
The Northern Ireland Assembly has called on Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety Michael McGimpsey MLA to reject proposals from the five Health and Social Care Trusts to cut 722 nursing posts over the next two years. An amendment to the motion, calling for health to be exempted from the Comprehensive Spending Review [CSR] efficiency requirements, was rejected by the Assembly.
Speaking during the debate, SDLP spokesperson Carmel Hanna MLA said: "The Royal College of Nursing has produced credible evidence to show that the critical role of the ward sister and other nurse managers is being undermined by the proposals. In some hospitals, ward managers are being asked to work across too many wards and too many locations. When that happens, the role of nursing ward managers as clinical leaders and patient advocates is undermined."
Alliance Party health spokesperson Kieran McCarthy MLA also voiced concerns about the proposals. He said: "The reduction of nursing posts cannot be delivered by voluntary retirements or by what is called "natural wastage". The RCN, as the authority for the nursing profession in Northern Ireland, must be listened to and worked with in order to ensure that bad decisions are avoided before it is too late."
Sinn Féin Health Committee member Claire McGilll commented: "As the spokesperson for the RCN said on another occasion, we are not against change for the sake of being against change, but we do need to establish exactly what the effect will be, whether these truly are efficiency savings, and exactly what the situation will be on the ward".
DUP Health Committee member Alex Easton MLA said: "The Northern Ireland Director of the highly respected Royal College of Nursing has already informed us that, if 722 posts are cut, patient care will be damaged and further strain will be placed on an already pressurised workforce. Proposals to cut the number of nursing ward or team managers, to force them to work across multiple locations and to downgrade their roles are unacceptable threats to patient safety. Those proposals must be revoked."
Responding to the motion, the Minister said: " In our drive towards changing the ways in which health and social care services are provided, nurses will play a vital role in delivering more care in the community: that is what the population wants. I am committed to investing in the front line but we need to recognise that the front line is moving into the community.
"However, the debate should not simply be about the number of nurses. Indeed, and instead, our focus should be on what is required to deliver an effective service and what is required to deliver safe and good quality care. If we are reducing our reliance on hospital beds and are making better use of support staff and focusing on preventative care, we must be prepared to adjust the workforce numbers to match the work that is required."