"The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it"
Aneurin Bevan

Saturday 31 July 2010

NHS Cuts

Where is this NHS ring fence, have you seen it anywhere? Don't try looking because it does not exist.

The Lancet reports that they were passed a document from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust entitled, "Proposal for A/OA Organisational Change Paper." (A being adults, OA being older adults). The Lancet says:

"The current income budget of the [Adult and Older Adult] Directorate is approximately £42 m. The savings to be achieved are £5·3 million over the next 4 years.” In Appendix 3 and 4 of this proposal, staffing changes are set out in detail. For adult mental health services, three consultant psychiatrists out of 19 will lose their jobs. There will be 16 fewer care-coordinators and support workers, eight fewer allied health workers, and one less staff grade position, together with cuts in clinical psychologists. There will be an increase in a new category of support, time, and recovery worker, but their numbers and skills will not fully compensate for the loss of front-line health professionals, including the 15% cut in consultant psychiatrists. There are additional cuts in health professionals among staffing for older adults."

 So no front-line NHS cuts, eh?

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