Job cuts planned in trusts under investigation
Published: 08 February 2013
Trusts at the centre of mortality rate investigations have earmarked thousands of jobs to be cut, the Royal College of Nursing has revealed.
In four out of the five trusts currently being investigated, more than 1,700 jobs that have either already been cut or are due to go by 2015 include frontline clinical posts such as nurses.
The RCN argues that there is a direct link between nursing numbers and patient mortality. RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said: “There are important lessons that we all need to learn from the Francis Inquiry, but surely one of the first is that trusts cannot be allowed to let staffing levels, particularly clinical posts such as nurses, fall to unsafe levels. Even those posts that are not clinical roles still play an important role in patient care and patient safety. Trusts cannot keep cutting posts without disastrous consequences.”
The figures have been collected by the RCN through its Frontline First campaign, which monitors cuts to jobs and services across the health service. The RCN has consistently argued for the introduction of legally enforceable safe staffing levels and will now look in detail at the recommendations contained in the Francis report in order to hold trusts to account when staffing falls to unsafe levels.