NHS deficits crisis is entrenched, says RCN
Published: 24 August 2007
Responding to the NHS Financial Performance Quarter Three figures, General Secretary of the RCN, Dr Peter Carter, said:
“The latest quarterly figures reveal an alarming picture of a deficits crisis that is growing and spreading. Gross deficits are up on the last quarter and now stand at over £1.3 billion, while the number of organisations in deficit has also increased.
“Ministers today might try to claim a small NHS surplus but this smoke and mirrors figure has only been achieved by raiding essential NHS training budgets, freezing posts, shedding jobs and cutting patient services.
“Faced with a hard problem the government is opting for soft targets. And its latest soft target is their proposal that hard-pressed, low paid nurses suffer an unjust pay cut this year.
“The deficits crisis is real, it's entrenched and it's hurting patients and staff. It's time for long-term solutions, not short-term cuts.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.