Plans To Axe 10% Of NHS Workforce Rejected

The government claims to have rejected advice from management consultants to slash the NHS workforce in England by 10% within the next five years, in order to achieve efficiency savings of £20bn, it has been reported.

Proposals from consultancy firm McKinsey and Company would see the closure of 137,000 clinical and admin posts by 2014.

The study recommends a range of potential actions in the next six months such as a recruitment freeze starting in the next two years, a reduction in medical school places starting in October and an early retirement programme to encourage older GPs and community nurses to make way for "new blood/talent".

The Health Service Journal has reported that although the Department of Health has said the report was "purely advice and does not constitute government policy", it bears the department's logo and has been disseminated among senior NHS managers.

Health Minister Mike O'Brien said: "Ministers have rejected the suggested proposals in the McKinsey report and there are no plans to adopt these proposals in the future.

"The government does not believe the right answer to improving the NHS now or in the future is to cut the NHS workforce. In core frontline services like maternity, nursing and primary care we need more staff rather than fewer."

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has called for Labour ministers to be honest about their position on the NHS. He said they were either saying they will protect the NHS or spending taxpayers money on hiring management consultants to axe jobs.

Dr Mark Porter, from the British Medical Association, said: "If implemented, these short-sighted proposals would have been disastrous.

"We welcome the commitment given by the government that it has rejected them and does not see workforce cuts as the solution to the challenges facing the NHS."

(GK/KMcA)