NHS jobs cuts to have 'disastrous' effect on patient care

Impending cuts to frontline NHS staff will have a 'disastrous' effect on the service's ability to offer quality care to patients, it has been claimed.

An investigation by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has found that 10,000 staff could be axed, despite government promises to spare the NHS from spending cuts.

However, as the study only involved 100 out of the 400 primary care trusts in England, it is feared many more staff could be forced to go.

The college warned that the cuts, which will come about due to recruitment freezes, failing to replace retirees and redundancies, are likely to involve many frontline workers, such as doctors and nurses, as well as managers.

Dr Peter Carter, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, said: "We believe the government when they say they want to protect NHS care.

"However, local NHS organisations appear to be adopting a slash and burn approach to jobs which is shocking and will have a disastrous effect not only on the quality of care provided and also on the range of treatments that are available."

Last month, health secretary Andrew Lansley announced the government will scrap several NHS waiting time targets, such as the guarantee to see a GP within 48 hours of making an appointment.

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