UNISON has warned MPs that the government’s drive for ‘efficiency savings” in the NHS could damage patient care.
The union is running a One Team for our NHS campaign to highlight the importance of every health worker.
As part of that campaign, it has written to the House of Commons health committee enquiry into the impact of the recent comprehensive spending review on health and social care, highlighting the damage these cuts could make to support services.
The union noted that a review of efficiency in the NHS, which is being led by Lord Carter, has the potential to affect staff working in NHS support services and, as a result, the quality of patient care.
“The fear is that trusts may increasingly be tempted to look at short-term cost-cutting measures, such as outsourcing their support services, with potentially damaging consequences for both patients and staff,” UNISON warned the MPs.
The Carter Review is due to report shortly and UNSION fears it will suggest a crackdown across the NHS on the costs of administration, with so-called “back office functions” likely to feel the force of privatisation.
UNISON warned that this would be short-sighted and counter-productive and says the NHS needs top operate as one team in the interests of joined-up, high-quality patient care.
Look out for more from the One Team campaign during the ♡ UNISON week, 8-14 February.
