Cutting the NHS? You're doing it wrong!

Despite the manifesto pledge to protect the NHS budget, and confirmation of that promise in the recent emergency budget, the National Health Service has still been asked to make £20bn worth of savings by 2014.  Such savings are intended to ensure it is fit to cope with the pressures of an ageing population, the rising price of drugs, and lifestyle changes such as obesity.  The problem is, they're doing it wrong.



The Royal College of Nursing, the Union representing a large number of NHS staff, has today come out and identified 10,000 NHS posts that have already been cut or are set to be cut in the near future as a result of these cost cutting measures.  Using the typically forthright language of a Trade Union, the Royal College of Nursing has described the cuts as crude, and harmful to patient care.

Despite my usual lack of sympathy for the complaints of Trades Unions, for once I have to admit that I agree with them on this one; the cuts are necessary, but they are being made in the wrong places and in the wrong way.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but these are our redundancy papers.  Not to worry though, there's still plenty of managers to take care of you."

Because of the nature of the Government's request, it has been left in the hands of NHS management to identify and make any savings that they can under this policy.  As a result, savings are being found by not replacing retiring staff, freezes on recruitment and a small number of redundancies.

I have long been of the opinion that the NHS is still capable of providing a fantastic service reminiscent of its glory days of the mid 20th century; the problem is that it has become bloated and top-heavy.  It would appear that for every doctor that is employed at a hospital, there are a further ten management staff employed to make sure that he is meeting his targets.  As a result, the majority of spending goes to suits who contribute far less to the patient experience than any member of front-line staff.

And therein lies the rub.

By leaving these cuts 'efficiency savings' to the whim of the management, the Government have effectively signed a death warrant for front-line services within the NHS.  As pessimistic a view as it is, it is highly unlikely that management staff will be altruistic enough to make the cuts where they are so drastically needed by thinning out their own ranks whilst keeping front-line services at their present strength.

The Government should instead grasp the nettle and start telling hospitals where savings can and must be made.  It may prove unpopular with the managerial corps who have grown fat off Labour's love of bureaucracy, but it will prove a hit with the electorate.