New figures reveal that more than 75 per cent of healthcare jobs that have been lost since the PM took office in 2010 have gone from the north. Meanwhile, parts of southern England and London have had their staffing levels increased, so patients are facing another postcode lottery. The latest workforce statistics obtained by Nursing Standard magazine from the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that there are 348,311 nurses, midwives, school nurses and health visitors working either full-time or part-time in England. That is 2,991 fewer full-time posts than when the coalition government came to power. Of that figure, 2,244 posts have been lost overall in the north – 1,264 have gone from Yorks & Humber and 1,131 from the north west, while 151 positions have been gained in the north east. Queen Margaret University Edinburgh workforce expert James Buchan warned that nursing numbers could fall further. “Different NHS trusts are behaving differently in response to local needs and funding priorities, but the aggregate national effect is fewer nurses in the NHS,” he said. “Funding is the main determinant of staffing levels – and NHS funding projections are grim.” Despite the overall downturn, four areas – London, the north east, south east coast and the West Midlands – have all seen an increase over the three years. London has an extra 349 nurses.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 08:08:01 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015