As much as a quarter of health visiting and school nursing staff at Humber NHS Foundation Trust could be cut, Unite has announced.
According to the union, the plans which are currently being consulted on will see the number of full time equivalent health visitors will fall from 51.3 to 38.64, while school nurses to just over six full time equivalent roles. The plans are due to a fall in funding for the trust of over £500,000.
‘Over the course of a year health visitors and school nurses working for Humber NHS Foundation Trust help thousands of families throughout the area,’ said Unite regional officer Malcolm Hancock said. ‘Because of the trust’s deep cuts this support and specialist help for families in greater need will be reduced alongside support for issues like domestic violence and safeguarding.
The union is planning to hold a protest to combat the plans. However, the Trust hit back, claiming Unite’s comments were ‘not accurate, and highly inflammatory’.
’Our proposed model is currently out for consultation with staff-side organisations and members of staff,’ said a spokesperson from the Trust. ‘Although the reduced budget necessitates a different model of care, the Trust is not expecting any redundancies and will do whatever to can to prevent them. We will also continue to put the communities we serve and our staff at the centre of everything we do to ensure we provide safe and effective services with the funds made available to us.