RCN comments on the Audit Commission report on the NHS Financial year

Published: 19 September 2012

Under embargo: 00:01 Thursday 20 September 2012
 
RCN comments on the Audit Commission report on the NHS Financial year

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said:
 “The NHS is tasked with saving £20 billion in England alone, and NHS hospitals and organisations are dealing with this reality on a daily basis. Patients will question why as many as 61,000 posts are at risk in the NHS when there is an overall surplus of £1.6 billion. To date, we have not seen evidence that this surplus is being reinvested into patient care, and a rigorous analysis of NHS finances is now needed.

“We are also concerned that for those trusts who are running up huge deficits, often due to badly negotiated PFI deals, it can appear tempting to reduce expenditure by thoughtless reductions in staff and services. Instead, they need to focus on keeping patients healthy. Nurses, like patients, will be anxious to avoid a situation where trusts run up enormous deficits which then lead to a crisis in patient care.”
 
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Notes for Editors

 
1.     For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit  http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
 
2.     The 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 nursing staff 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.