Who are the real victims?
Amy Foster, Northampton Socialist Party and former NHS worker
Northampton and Kettering general hospitals have both issued non-patient-facing staff the ‘opportunity’ to take voluntary redundancy, but what does this mean for staff leaving, those staying, and patients?
During the Covid pandemic it was clear how important every NHS staff member is, from the orthopaedic surgeons to ward clerks and housekeeping teams. In the NHS everyone has their role, but all members of the team provide holistic care for patients. To work for the NHS is a difficult experience to explain to anyone who hasn’t done it.
Lately there have been calls to make improvements to both hospitals. Kettering General requires improvement according to the Care Quality Commission. Northampton General has an overall rating of good but requires improvement in medical and maternity care. How is this to be improved by reducing staff?
Some may think that reducing office staff would be a good way to reduce costs, however that means patient-facing staff being pulled away from patients to answer phones, assist in discharges or fill in paperwork that the office staff do. Those things won’t stop needing to be done. Patient care will suffer and more will be put on our already stressed staff.
What of the staff who take the redundancy scheme? Well because this is being done as a MARS (Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme), the NHS doesn’t have to offer what a person is entitled to under a forced redundancy, meaning they will come away with less money than they should have.
This coming from a government that is already attacking disabled people and pensioners with their brutal cuts, under this government are we supposed to just not become ill? So I ask who any of this will really benefit?
