NHS helpline cuts 'a recipe for disaster'
Health unions have warned that budget cuts at NHS Direct could put lives at risk and prompt them to take industrial action.
The row centres on government plans to save £15m at the flagship health information service which was set up by the government in 1997.
Managers at the service are set to axe hundreds of jobs and close 12 call centres across England, with other centres expanded and some staff moving from those being shut down.
But the Royal College of Nursing and Unison said the changes were threatening the quality of the services being provided and had left staff morale "at rock bottom".
The unions said the changes would reduce the number of qualified nursing staff from its current 66 per cent of frontline staff down to 50 per cent.
And closing 12 centres, with a further 19 'under review', would leave some regions with gaps in locally based services, they said.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "This cost-cutting exercise at NHS Direct could put lives at risk and staff are so angry at the prospect, unions are gearing up for industrial action.
"These proposals sacrifice quality for cost and the people who will suffer are the public in need of expert advice and reassurance.
"Hundreds of redundancies of staff and closure of call centres around England is not the way to make the service better. It is a recipe for disaster."
Dr Beverly Malone, general secretary of the RCN, added: "This is a nurse-led success story, admired across the world, yet we could see it dismantled with little thought or planning.
"NHS Direct staff morale is at rock bottom and they feel understandably angry and let down by their employer.
"NHS Direct was created by this government to lead NHS reforms, but it is now being asked to make cost-driven changes.
"This is another example of inconsistency in the reform agenda with little thought for the consequences, where patients and staff will suffer."
Commenting on the threat of industrial action, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the problems were "another example of the government's crumbling health reforms".
"Many staff were employed at NHS Direct with a legitimate expectation that their skills would be used; now they face redundancy. It is a tragic waste of potential," he said.
"Clearly we should redeploy staff who have acquired excellent skills for handling telephone advice into local out-of-hours and unscheduled care services."
NHS Direct said in a statement that the plans were "not about dismantling our service, but improving it".
"We are currently consulting with our staff on a series of proposals which are designed to make us more effective and efficient," it added.
"They will help us maintain our excellent reputation for clinical safety and improve public access to health by signposting people to the right NHS service more quickly.
"We realise that change is unsettling and are working to minimise the impact on our staff. We are listening very carefully to their views on how best to make these changes to improve our service."
The row centres on government plans to save £15m at the flagship health information service which was set up by the government in 1997.
Managers at the service are set to axe hundreds of jobs and close 12 call centres across England, with other centres expanded and some staff moving from those being shut down.
But the Royal College of Nursing and Unison said the changes were threatening the quality of the services being provided and had left staff morale "at rock bottom".
The unions said the changes would reduce the number of qualified nursing staff from its current 66 per cent of frontline staff down to 50 per cent.
And closing 12 centres, with a further 19 'under review', would leave some regions with gaps in locally based services, they said.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "This cost-cutting exercise at NHS Direct could put lives at risk and staff are so angry at the prospect, unions are gearing up for industrial action.
"These proposals sacrifice quality for cost and the people who will suffer are the public in need of expert advice and reassurance.
"Hundreds of redundancies of staff and closure of call centres around England is not the way to make the service better. It is a recipe for disaster."
Dr Beverly Malone, general secretary of the RCN, added: "This is a nurse-led success story, admired across the world, yet we could see it dismantled with little thought or planning.
"NHS Direct staff morale is at rock bottom and they feel understandably angry and let down by their employer.
"NHS Direct was created by this government to lead NHS reforms, but it is now being asked to make cost-driven changes.
"This is another example of inconsistency in the reform agenda with little thought for the consequences, where patients and staff will suffer."
Commenting on the threat of industrial action, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the problems were "another example of the government's crumbling health reforms".
"Many staff were employed at NHS Direct with a legitimate expectation that their skills would be used; now they face redundancy. It is a tragic waste of potential," he said.
"Clearly we should redeploy staff who have acquired excellent skills for handling telephone advice into local out-of-hours and unscheduled care services."
NHS Direct said in a statement that the plans were "not about dismantling our service, but improving it".
"We are currently consulting with our staff on a series of proposals which are designed to make us more effective and efficient," it added.
"They will help us maintain our excellent reputation for clinical safety and improve public access to health by signposting people to the right NHS service more quickly.
"We realise that change is unsettling and are working to minimise the impact on our staff. We are listening very carefully to their views on how best to make these changes to improve our service."
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