Unions warn of fatalities over planned health cuts
The stark warning of “fatalities” if the North’s health and social care trusts “keep cutting services to vulnerable people” has been issued by NIPSA Lead Negotiator for Health, Kevin Kelly.
“If they keep cutting services [care plans] someone is going to get hurt or die. Fatalities are going to come because of these cuts,” he added.
Mr Kelly was speaking to The Derry News following Thursday’s trade union rally at Altnagelvin Hospital protesting trust proposals for cutting their budgets by 12% over the next three years.
The proposals came in response to Stormont Permanent Health Secretary Mike Farrar stating health and social care in the North was facing “enormous challenges” with a “current funding gap of £800m”.
“The health unions met the Permanent Health Secretary last week. This followed our meeting with Tracey McCaig, the chief operating officer of the Strategic Planning and Performance Group in the Department for Health, who, according to recent media reports, has seen her pay rise by £40,000 over the past two years,” said Mr Kelly.
“We also met then Minister for Health Mike Nesbitt,” he added, “who told us between £800,000 and £850,000 of ‘efficiency savings’ needed to be made within the coming year because of the ‘shortfall’.
“The unions have called that out. You can’t have these ‘efficiency savings’ - they are cuts because something has to go. We have had ‘efficiency savings’ this past 10 years. We have had austerity.
“They have done vacancy control. They have had all those ‘work smarter’ initiatives. Encompass came in and that made savings. Anything that could be saved has been saved.
"The reduction in the use of the agency workers and bringing in a bank supply of nurses, that’s been done, so there are no more ways of working smarter as far as unions are concerned.
“They have had briefing sessions with us, not consultation, as if these cuts are a fait accompli, hence Thursday’s protests,” said Mr Kelly.
“There are no ‘efficiencies’ to be made, all they can do is cut services and cut staff hours,” he added.
“Health and social care trusts have actually brought in the private consultancy firm, Liaison Care, in order to make the ‘savings’.
"It has been paid £200,000 by two separate trusts - fees based on one third commission of whatever is ‘saved’, which is £600,000 per trust.
“That £200,000 worth of cuts has been made on care plans alone. 130 care plans have been looked at by this consultancy firm to see where cuts can be made.
“The unions are meeting the Health Minister next week and we will be urging him not to implement any cuts or ‘savings’.
If they keep cutting services [care plans] someone is going to get hurt or die. Fatalities are going to come because of these cuts.
"There were also a number of commitments, including pay parity, made by his predecessor, but there are no guarantees if these ‘savings’ are made workers will get the pay parity they deserve. He also committed to real living wage implementation and the funding of pay structure reform. What we will be saying is, get your budget right and deliver the service you should be.
“If they keep cutting services someone is going to get hurt or die. Fatalities are going to come because of these cuts.
"You can only cut services to people who are vulnerable, their care plans, so much. We are coming into the winter and there is only so much of their service that can be cut before someone in a vulnerable situation is going to fall through the cracks,” said Mr Kelly
Also speaking to The Derry News, James Large, UNISON regional organiser said UNISON was “challenging the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), alongside the other health trusts, over further cuts being pushed through at a time when services and staff are already under immense pressure”.
Mr Large added: “Vacancy controls are particularly counterproductive. Vacancy controls are job cuts repackaged as savings. Leaving posts unfilled does not remove the work - it simply increases pressure on the staff who remain, many of whom are already working in unsafe and understaffed services.
“This comes while health workers are still waiting on a pay rise that was due in April, alongside outstanding commitments on the Real Living Wage and safe staffing.
“Cuts are being presented as ‘savings’, ‘reset’ and ‘reform’ but reform cannot simply mean fewer staff and fewer services.
“UNISON challenged Trust Boards to stand up for their staff, patients and services. They refused. Shame on them. If they won't defend our health service, we will.
“Our members continue to deliver quality healthcare in increasingly difficult circumstances. The Northern Ireland Executive must now step in and properly fund our health service.”