We were rather alarmed at the headline in the County Press on Friday – “600 face axe from hospital.”
How would the Isle of Wight cope with another 600 job losses this year, on top of the hundreds announced by the IW council already, we wondered.
Luckily, if you read on, past the, “The Jobs Bombshell …” in the second sentence, you might have worked out that the cuts are being spread across four years, “Speaking exclusively to the County Press, he revealed the equivalent of between 150 and 170 posts a year are set to go over the next four years as health chiefs fight to bring down costs.”
Over four years
As much as to reassure ourselves, we contacted the Island’s NHS who made things clearer – “The level of workforce cost reduction equates to between 150 and 170 whole time equivalents each year.”
While that’s clearly not great for those who will lose their jobs, it’s a lot less worrying than thinking that the Island will be hit with 600 job losses in one go.
Further reassurance
If you’re looking for further reassurance for health provision on the Island, see what the NHS Chief Exec, Kevin Flynn, told the CP, “The patient will not notice any difference or a decline in quality.”
Below is the statement in full that the Island NHS sent to VB Friday morning. Thought you’d find it helpful to read, despite it being titled in a double-speak way.
Workforce Efficiency Programme
The Island’s NHS is working closely with public sector colleagues on the Island to deliver services in the most cost effective and efficient way.The funding to run NHS services on the Island will, in the future, be at levels that will mean the local NHS having to save between £10m and £14m per annum over the next three to four years. This is to safeguard essential services and ensure that the Island’s Provider Services will be viable, both clinically and financially, to support the plan for Provider Services to become a Foundation Trust.
NHS Isle of Wight consistently work towards reducing workforce costs year on year and are continuing to plan on this basis. The level of workforce cost reduction equates to between 150 and 170 whole time equivalents each year and over the coming weeks a number of efficiency schemes will be implemented, on a phased approach, which will include looking at reducing sickness and other absence, reviewing variable hours, reducing agency, locum and overtime costs.
Kevin Flynn, NHS Isle of Wight Chief Executive, said: “We are doing what we can to achieve these cost reductions through natural wastage and vacancy control, however, I cannot rule out the need in the future to make redundancies if we cannot achieve our savings targets through these and other cost saving measures.”
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Oblivion Head
