Northern Ireland nurses reject draft budget

Published: 16 February 2011

 
The Royal College of Nursing [RCN] is today warning that the Executive’s draft Budget for 2011-2015 will not meet the future health and social care needs of the people of Northern Ireland.

As consultation closes on the Executive’s proposals, the RCN says that the draft DHSSPS allocation fails to take account of the higher level of health need and inequality, and the rising demand for health and social care services, in Northern Ireland. It will, according to the RCN, make the Health and Social Care service [HSC] unsustainable.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has already stated that 4000 jobs will have to go under the draft Budget proposals. If this is applied proportionally, it would mean 1500 nursing posts being axed, on top of the 500 posts that are already scheduled to be cut this year. Decreasing the nursing workforce by 15% at the same time as demand for services is set to increase by the same percentage over the next four years, is a recipe for disaster, according to the RCN.

RCN Northern Ireland Director Janice Smyth said: “The draft Budget allocation for health and social care will increase significantly the already intolerable pressures on nursing staff and will further jeopardise patient safety. The RCN believes that the Northern Ireland Executive should clarify whether it considers these factors to be an acceptable risk. The RCN does not.

“With a two year pay freeze already imposed on them, and the constant day-to-day pressures of matching increased demand with diminishing resources, nurses are all too aware of the harsh reality of the financial environment in which we now live. They are also realistic about the need to tackle the severe financial challenges facing the health and social care service, and they know how to do it. Our consultation response includes many examples of how investment in nursing and nurse-led services produces better patient care and saves money.

“However, the RCN will not support any proposals that will further increase the already intolerable pressures on nurses and patient care. In July 2010, the RCN warned that the current financial position of the health and social care service was extremely serious. We said that any further cuts to funding could mean that the service will become unsustainable and will undoubtedly have severe consequences for frontline patient care. Regrettably, we have now reached this point.

“Our elected politicians need to decide whether they are prepared to fund our health services properly or, if not, to make clear which hospitals and other local services they are willing to close. We can no longer tolerate politicians of all parties and persuasions conspiring to cut funding in real terms whilst simultaneously waging campaigns against any local impact on health and social care services. Politicians need to exhibit a considerably greater degree of maturity, consistency and responsibility than they have demonstrated since 2007 in explaining to their constituents the local impact of the health Budget that they are endorsing.

“It is not the responsibility of the RCN to scrutinise the spending plans of Stormont departments in order to recommend which services should be cut in order to fund the health deficit. That is the job of our elected politicians. It is, however, our responsibility to fight for nurses and the vulnerable people and communities whom they serve. On this basis, the RCN rejects this draft Budget. We call on the Northern Ireland Executive to meet its collective obligation to the people of Northern Ireland by properly funding the health and social care services upon which they depend.”