The Royal College of Nursing has raised the alarm after a new report revealed that a number of NHS trusts were facing financial deficits and the prospects of cuts in services. The report, ‘Tight budgets and tough choices: the reality of an NHS living within its financial means’ from The King’s Fund, found that one of the ways NHS leaders were saving money on the service was by cutting staff, freezing new recruitment and reducing overtime pay. Staff unions and organisations criticised this decision, claiming that making cuts to staff would have the opposite effect and that an investment into the workforce is what is actually needed to deliver the necessary reforms.
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‘This report shows there is no hope of delivering the Government’s reforms whilst the NHS is simultaneously being asked to cut staff and services,’ said RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger. ‘Multiple trust leaders say they are crying out for investment in roles like district nurses, health visitors and school nurses, but financially their arms are tied behind their backs.
‘With the spending review just weeks away ministers need to change course. They must recognise the need to invest in health and care services at the level to meet people’s needs. That has to include new and sustained investment in the nursing workforce to help transform care, ease pressures and reduce costs in the longer term.’
The Government has responded that it has invested into where it thinks is most necessary. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated that the current focus of the Government is to reduce the level of bureaucracy, and streamline the service. Investments have been routed to prioritise cutting waiting and A&E service times, as well as making local GPs more accessible.
‘This Government invested an extra £26 billion through the Autumn Budget to fix the broken health and care system we inherited and make it fit for the future. Through our Plan for Change, we are determined to tackle inefficiencies and drive-up productivity in the NHS,’ said a DHSC spokesperson. ‘We have underlined the need for trusts to cut bureaucracy to invest even further in the front line, so we can support hard-working staff and deliver a better service for patients and taxpayers’ money.’