Hundreds of University College London Hospital jobs to be axed
UCLH chiefs putting frontline services at risk, say campaigners
Published: 21st April, 2011
by TOM FOOT
ONE of the country’s leading and wealthiest NHS hospitals is about to announce hundreds of job losses, the New Journal can reveal.
Bosses at the University College London Hospital have been informed of proposals to axe at least 360 posts – including some “frontline” staff.
A voluntary redundancy scheme has started and there are plans to replace so-called “backroom” staff with banks of supermarket-style patient appointment booking check-out machines.
Chief executive Sir Robert Naylor said the cut followed a major drop in funding for treating NHS patients at the foundation trust hospital in Euston.
Sir Robert told the New Journal: “If we have fewer contracts from the primary care trust to treat patients, and we do less work, then we must have fewer staff. Any business runs like that. We flex our staff numbers up and down all the time.”
He said it would be difficult to pinpoint where the axe would fall, but procedures that are known as “Low Priority Treatments” – a list of treatments considered unworthy of NHS funding – would no longer be provided for free in the hospital. He said any job cuts would “mainly be achieved by improving efficiency in back office and admin areas”.
Candy Udwin, chairwoman of Camden Keep our NHS Public, said: “You can’t cut staff without putting frontline services at risk. The slack is too little. It doesn’t make any difference to patients whether its the PCT or UCLH making the cut.”
A demonstration has been called outside the hospital on May 17 and Labour Frank Dobson MP is will speak at a public meeting in Camden Town Hall before that on May 9.
Camden’s NHS hospitals are suffering major upheaval following government cuts. Last month, the New Journal revealed how the Royal Free in Hampstead will axe 450 posts, and there are fears that the Whittington in Highgate will soon announce similar reductions.
In a UCLH board meeting in March, Sir Robert discussed a letter from Sue Slipman, director of the Foundation Trust Network, warning the top boss of the NHS that such savage cuts would “seriously endanger waiting times and services for vulnerable patients”.
He added yesterday: “But you have to get it in context. We have been a foundation trust for six years and we are in a much different position to the Royal Free.
“They are having to make huge adjustments because they need to become a Foundation Trust.”
The £450 million UCH building in Euston Road was opened by the Queen in 2005 and was visited by the Prince of Wales after it was named “hospital of the year” in 2009.