RCN responds to NHS Confederation warning on the downturn
Published: 10 June 2009
Commenting on the publication of the NHS Confederation report Dealing with the downturn: the greatest ever leadership challenge for the NHS, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
"This report paints a particularly bleak picture for the NHS over the next couple of years, which is deeply concerning. During a downturn, health can suffer and the NHS must be fit to deal with this. We are in total agreement with the NHS Confederation that cutting staffing levels and training would only exacerbate problems in an already stretched health service.
"In times of financial difficulty, the need for stringent evaluation to ensure all spending offers genuine value for money, and that funding intended for patient care does not get siphoned off elsewhere, is even more important.
"Our recent Freedom of Information request revealed that £350 million pounds a year is spent on management consultants, of which over £273 million was not related to direct patient care. This could account for more than 10% of the NHS savings expected by the Government. Every individual Trust needs to ask themselves if they need to take on a management consultant for certain tasks."
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Notes for Editors
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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.