Are NHS redundancies on the way?

[tvod2244]

I keep hearing the government say "tough decisions are coming" and "public spending cuts" and I've started worrying that I could lose my job :(

I have been in the NHS for 6 years (non-clinical) and couldn't imagine doing anything else. I love my job. I know nothing has been defined in terms of what J.Hunt means by cuts but if anyone is able to offer any thoughts/reassurance it would be much appreciated xx

@tvod2244 Surely not? Everything we hear is about the lack of staff (both clinical & non clinical). However a lot of middle management could be thinned out. So I suppose it depends on your role.

I should imagine so. I do think there are far, far too many non clinical jobs in the NHS.

You’ll have lots of transferable skills and a solid work history so I shouldn’t worry too much even if the worst happens. You’re probably not going to lose your job and if you’re good at it you could always transfer to another NHS department.

I doubt it.
They usually cut by not recruiting into vacant posts.

Unlikely to be redundancy more likely that if you leave your post won’t be recruited to

They will freeze posts when people leave and reband people to lower bands probably. The trusts simply won’t be able to afford their wages bills after being told to find “efficiency savings”.
We basically won’t have an NHS much longer. You can’t run services without staff, that’s already becoming apparent.

Pretty terrifying really.

I wouldn't have thought so they can't afford the pay out.

If you're NHS England then yes as we are undergoing a restructure yet again.
In a Trust not sure.
ICS possibly - the people I've spoken to in ICSs in the last few weeks are all prepared for redundancy in the next year.

All non clinical staff - from band 2 to band 9 - hold a lot of organisational memory and have skills and experience that the NHS needs desperately now. We lost a lot of people in the various culls following the HSCA and many of my colleagues are on short term fixed contracts.

We are haemorrhaging non clinical staff at the moment and because Of the restructure there is another recruitment freeze.

The uncertainty in the country due to the fucking bastard Tories mean that services will be cut as we tend to have non recurrent funding each year so next March - lots of services could be ended with nothing to replace it. Patients are going to suffer.

Seems like the plan to dismantle the NHS and Education is going fucking splendidly then.

@Dalaidramailama Which non clinical jobs are too much? How do you think a hospital runs with jo support staff?

*no

I highly doubt it. Restructuring maybe, but they cannot afford the redundancy payments.

Unemployment needs to be at 6% to lower inflation, jobs will need to be destroyed but not necessarily in the public sector. Taxation and demand normally sort it out

What’s an Ics and hcsa? @thesurrealist

@Dillwyninthebath

Obviously, I am just speaking from experience from my old band 5 non clinical role (IPS employment specialist in MH services) whereby we really didn’t have that much work on. It’s department specific but I was that bored due to lack of work I had to leave. My friend is band 3 admin and she was run off her feet.

We'll just not recruit to posts as people leave

ICS: integrated care system (now called integrated care boards)

HCAS: high cost area supplement - I.E. London weighting.

I'm from one the orgs that is merging with NHS England (non clinical) and we've been told there will be up to 40% redundancy.

Ignore the bit about HCAS; I mis read the earlier post!

Me too @VeggieTables

NHSD

I’ve over 15 years service they’d be doing me a favour to make me redundant tbh. I’ve a lovely career but the NHS is killing me.

it happened a few years back when Austerity was first kicking in. Lots of long term staff were offered redundancy and took the payouts.

Obviously not doctors and nurses but those that are ‘apparently’ not needed but then more staff were rehired in the end anyway. The NHS is a huge team of people it’s not so simple as to go oh they aren’t needed….

Yes and those that voted for it need not complain.

The NHS has a vacancy rate of 10% or close to 80,000 vacancies at the moment.

Obviously a lot of them won't be relevant or local to you but you'd have to be pretty unlucky to not be offered an alternative role if yours is under threat.

Plus the NHS is unlikely to pay redundancy when those skills can be redeployed elsewhere.

So when you said far far too many non clinical jobs you meant just one band 5 non clinical role that you personally did? I'm sure there are small numbers of roles or jobs which perhaps were needed when created but it's turned out that they aren't are busy as anticipated, and so could be cut. But the vast majority of us non clinical staff are run off our feet like your band 3 friend.

@RichardMarxisinnocent

Not just my job. I know a vast number of people in the NHS non clinical usually at band 5 plus who will admit they’re really not that busy. So yes I do think there are posts in higher bands that should go! A lot of unnecessary middle management pen pushers.

Don't be daft. The NHS doesn't have enough staff as it is!

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

It sure doesn’t have enough clinical staff. Great idea cutting that nursing bursary!…. Not.