Responding to an announcement from NHS England today (Friday) on the medium-term planning framework, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:
“Ambitious plans to transform the NHS are to be welcomed. But any form of planning is difficult when the health service is in disarray.
“Having enough skilled workers is crucial to turning the NHS around and providing high-quality patient care. But chaos at integrated care boards and funding squeezes elsewhere are forcing trusts to let employees go, freeze recruitment and cut back on training.
“Longer-term thinking is the right approach, but apart from targets to reduce agency and temporary staff, there’s little firm for the workforce.
“If ministers’ bold ambitions for the NHS are to be realised, that must begin with direct negotiations right away to start the process of fixing pay and job structures for the staff who’ll deliver the changes.
“It’s also essential to halt job cuts when the ongoing problems of understaffing are plain to see.
“Hanging on to experienced employees is vital and that includes the thousands of overseas staff who face losing their jobs because ill-thought-out salary rules mean they can’t renew their visas.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Dan Ashley M: 07789 518992 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
