22,000 jobs lost in nursing cuts

Tony Blair said yesterday that a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claim that more than 22,300 NHS jobs have been lost in the last 18 months was "greatly exaggerated".

On the eve of its annual conference, the RCN said it was laying bare "the myth" that the debt crisis in the NHS had been solved.

In a report called Our NHS - Today And Tomorrow, the union described the deficits crisis as "real and entrenched".

But the Prime Minister told BBC1's The Politics Show: "Actually, there have been only about 300 clinical jobs lost.

"The fact is, today we have a workforce which is 300,000 more than it was in 1997."

As a result, he said, by the end of 2008 the issue of waiting lists will be "effectively dealt with".

The RCN report said almost three-quarters of newly-qualified nurses were still unable to find jobs and condemned "rushed, uncosted and untested" Government reforms.

It outlined how the financial crisis had affected patient services, including for those suffering from multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and mental health problems.

The financial crisis has also hit waiting times, especially for diagnostic tests, and has led to the closure of community hospitals in rural communities, it said.

Furthermore, the vast majority (87%) of specialist nurses say NHS cuts are having an adverse effect on patient care.

Nearly half (47%) were aware of service cuts in their specialist area and almost one in five said they were personally at risk of redundancy.

More than half (55%) said they were aware of other specialist nurses in their field who were at risk of losing their jobs.

The report called on the Government to work with frontline staff, give trusts "more time and flexibility" to achieve financial balance, and "move away from the culture of imposing redundancies, vacancy freezes, and post deletions".

According to the latest Government figures, the NHS as a whole is on track to reach financial balance by the end of the financial year.

At present, 35% of NHS organisations are forecasting a deficit, with gross debts for the year expected to total almost £1.32 billion.

Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN, said: "The deficits issue is not history - it is real, entrenched and continues to hit patient care, services and jobs. Yes, the NHS achieved overall financial balance last year - but at what cost?

"Our NHS remains caught up in a rip-tide of cuts, rushed reforms and poor workforce planning. This is hitting services, hurting patients, undermining staff morale and threatening the hard-won progress made over recent years.

"The NHS is the jewel in the crown of our public services.

"That's why we are asking the Government to listen to and work with nurses and their colleagues in the NHS team."

The figure of 22,300 jobs comes after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in March that the number of people working in the NHS fell by 11,000 in the last quarter of 2006.

Health Minister Andy Burnham said: "This RCN report presents an outdated and misleading picture.

"It is simply wrong to suggest that 22,300 staff are losing their jobs.

"Whilst of course every redundancy is regrettable, the actual number of compulsory redundancies is 1,446, of which only 303 are clinical positions."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "This is a devastating report for the NHS at the beginning of the new financial year.

"Nurses are the backbone of the health service - it is terrible that they are suffering due to this Government's failures."

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We warned the Government that their financial mismanagement would lead to job cuts and damage to services for patients.

"Unfortunately the RCN survey confirms our fears."

He said it was a "damning indictment" of the cost of Chancellor Gordon Brown's "NHS cuts" and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt's "poor stewardship".

Ms Hewitt, whose saw her speech drowned out by nurses at last year's conference, will not attend congress this year.

The RCN said it had not invited any politicians to the conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

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