Assurances no hospital staff cuts
HEALTH bosses in Great Yarmouth last night moved to reassure patients they would not be reducing the number of staff in hospitals or primary care trusts - after a report claimed one in 10 NHS jobs would have to go nationally to make planned savings.
HEALTH bosses in Great Yarmouth last night moved to reassure patients they would not be reducing the number of staff in hospitals or primary care trusts - after a report claimed one in 10 NHS jobs would have to go nationally to make planned savings.
The confidential report commissioned by the Department of Health from consultancy firm McKinsey said the NHS in England would need to slash its workforce by 137,000 to achieve a planned �20bn savings by 2014.
But Tracey Greenwood, head of human resources at NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney, said: 'We have no plans to reduce our workforce by 10pc.'
Health minister Mike O'Brien quickly insisted the government had rejected the proposals and had no plans to adopt them.
And local health chiefs said that while they expected challenges, they were not planning on cutting staff and remained committed to 'providing high-quality care'.
The deputy chief executive of NHS Norfolk, David Stonehouse, said: 'The McKinsey recommendations are just that - suggestions. We have no plans to reduce the number of health staff in Norfolk, so the public can be assured they will still receive the same high standards of service in the future.
Most Read
- 1 BBC film crew spotted filming in Lowestoft
- 2 'Ethan touched the lives of everyone': Family's emotional tribute to teen
- 3 Lowestoft man jailed after breaching restraining order within an hour
- 4 Police hunt for teenager with knife who threatened man in town centre
- 5 'Like an earthquake' - Life by Lowestoft's Gull Wing construction site
- 6 Go-ahead for new shops and flats at site of former family-run business
- 7 Man arrested on suspicion of GBH
- 8 Major infrastructure projects 'putting pressure' on Suffolk
- 9 Arsonist to be sentenced after admitting starting blaze at block of flats
- 10 Enquiries ongoing after man sexually assaulted on Lowestoft beach
'It is well known that the next few years will be challenging. With this in mind we are taking a responsible approach and ensur-ing that planning future services takes into account the need for efficiency and value for money.
'It is our specific objective to ensure that health care in Norfolk continues to be of a high quality, with equal access for all and delivers the priorities of our five- year plan.'
