EAST MIDLANDS UNISON and the Royal College of Nursing are holding a ‘The NHS is on its Knees, Get off your Feet to Save it, Defend the NHS’ march and rally in Nottingham on Saturday 23rd September.
The joint UNISON/RCN march will call for:
The government to give NHS Trusts more time and money to clear their deficits.
An end to privatisation.
Support to stop the sale of NHS Logistics.
East Midland UNISON says: ‘UNISON want five healthier options for the NHS:
No Cuts in Services
‘Across the East Midlands, NHS Trusts have announced around £200 million cuts.
‘These include £60 million at Nottingham Hospitals, £15 million in Derby, £25 million for Leicester PCT, and £18.5 million proposed for Northampton, that’s cuts at your local hospital and health centre.
‘NHS Direct are also closing call centres, with staff at walk in centres not being replaced when they leave. These cuts will mean less people to deliver services and patient care for your family. they must be stopped.
No bed closures
‘Less staff means less nurses and care assistants. in Nottingham alone there will be 186 beds lost at the newly merged Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.
‘Almost daily, more ward closures are being announced. This will mean longer waiting lists, more delays, and more pain. These bed closures cuts will affect patient care.
No privatisation of services – an end to profit from pain
‘The government has announced plans to sell off the award winning NHS Logistics to a private haulage company. in Lincoln, confidential medical records may be processed in the Philippines.
‘Across the region, over three million pounds of tax-payers money was paid out to private companies for operations they had not even carried out.
‘The NHS is being increasingly privatised. Stop this scandal now – Keep the NHS public, not owned by shareholders.
No cuts in Pay & Conditions
‘The cuts are leaving NHS staff facing the stark choice of a pay cut or redundancy.
No Redundancies
‘A staggering 5,000 NHS jobs are currently under threat in the East Midlands.
‘This includes 1,200 losses in Nottinghamshire and 300 in Lincoln – with more being proposed.
‘In Chesterfield, 47 senior nursing staff will go. UNISON believes these redundancies will weaken local delivery of NHS services, and must be stopped.’
The march will leave the Forest Recreation Ground (Goose Fair site, assemble from 10am) at 11am and will end at the Albert Hall, Derby Road for a rally at 12 noon.
In addition to the Eastern Region, the UNISON website lists the planned job cuts across the union’s regions.
National
National Blood Service faces 150 job cuts.
NHS Direct are cutting more than 1,000 jobs and closing 12 call centres, to avert a forecast £15m deficit.
Eastern
East and North Hertfordshire Trust plans to cut ten per cent of its workforce (500 jobs) to get £18m savings. Up to three wards to be closed in the Lister and QEII hospitals by September.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, currently at the centre of a £115m profit-making refinancing controversy, say up to 450 jobs could be scrapped as part of plans to reduce a £14.8m budget deficit.
The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said up to 500 jobs would have to go in the next 12 to 18 months to help tackle debts of £28.6m.
Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust will lose 185 jobs and plans to shut an operating theatre to save £2m.
Greater London
Hammersmith hospitals making 300 job cuts.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust in Woolwich says up to 100 jobs could go to save £10m.
Queen Mary’s, Sidcup, says it will consult over the loss of 190 jobs.
The Royal Free Hospital, announces 480 posts and 100 beds cut to save £25m and reduce a £13m deficit.
Northern
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust says 74 jobs including 21 specialist nursing jobs are ‘at risk’.
County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust announces up to 700 job cuts over the next three years.
North West
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust confirms it plans to shed 800 posts to deal with a £21m deficit.
Bolton hospitals are losing 155 jobs.
Mid Cheshire NHS Trust making 250 job cuts.
South East
Southampton hospitals are to lose 540 jobs, with over 100 redundancies and the loss of 140 beds.
At Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust 600 jobs and 100 beds to go. Four hospitals, including John Radcliffe, are expected to save £33m in ten months.
Royal West Sussex NHS Trust announces 200 job losses. The trust has overspent by a total of £40m and had a £14m deficit last year.
The East Sussex NHS Hospitals Trust, which runs the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and Eastbourne District General, says up to 250 jobs could be axed in a bid to tackle a £5m deficit.
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which manages Crawley Hospital and East Surrey Hospital, announces 400 jobs cuts as it tries to reduce a £2m a month overspend and a total debt of £41.2m.
Up to 160 jobs to go at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, the trust confirms. It needs to save £11m in 2006-07 and claw back a £1m overspend from last year.
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust announces plans to cut 325 posts to save £10m.
East Kent Hospitals Trust gives warning of possible cuts to claw back a £35m deficit.
Medway Maritime Trust possible 160 job cuts.
Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority says it is expecting an £83m deficit.
South West
The new PFI-built Great Western Hospital in Swindon is cutting up to 200 posts, and closing beds and an operating theatre.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust face massive cuts to health services across Gloucestershire. 500 job losses, community hospitals closed and maternity services moved to Gloucester.
Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust and the West Wiltshire Trust announce plans which could see the loss of more than 80 management and administration posts.
Some 60 jobs and 56 beds to be lost at Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare after the trust overspent by £6m.
The Royal United Hospital NHS Trust in Bath announces that 300 jobs are to go.
Gloucestershire Health NHS Community confirms plans to close an 86-bed hospital and says jobs may also go.
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust announces around 200 job cuts to make savings of £22m.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, which is facing an £8.1m shortfall, announces it is set to cut 300 staff.
West Midlands
University Hospital Stoke plans up to 750 jobs cuts, some compulsory redundancies.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust to shed up to 800 jobs at its three Birmingham and Black Country sites. The trust, which runs City, Sandwell and Rowley Regis hospitals, has a deficit of £6m.
The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust announces 720 losses. It needs to save £30m.
Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust plans to cut more than 150 jobs, to save £10m next year.
About 300 job losses are announced at Shropshire’s two main hospitals, the Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Health chiefs announce 300 job cuts in Wolverhampton to claw back a £38m deficit.
Up to 1,000 jobs to go at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, with up to 750 compulsory redundancies.
Yorkshire & Humberside
York Hospital is to cut 200 jobs in a move to save £2.5m. The savings from jobs are part of a wider £7m cost-cutting package.
Selby and York Primary Care Trust announces jobs will have to go as part of a plan to tackle debts of £23.7m.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust plans up to 1,000 job cuts.
60 posts to go in Rotherham.
The East Midland rally will attract thousands who want to defend the NHS.
What is required is national strike action led by UNISON and the other health unions, starting with a Day of Action, to take on and bring down the Blair government, and replace it with a workers’ government that will expropriate the bankers and big business to provide the funds for an improved NHS free for everyone.