 Dr Lister says he is concerned for the future of the NHS |
Cutting hospital jobs in the NHS will be "the flavour of the month" after staff were axed in the West Midlands, a patient watchdog warned. Plans by three hospital trusts in the region to cut more than 1,500 jobs have "broken the silence" for others, says research expert Dr John Lister.
Dr Lister, from London Health Emergency (LHE), blames government policy on helping to fuel NHS debt.
The government has denied claims it has caused the present financial problems.
With the West Midlands region likely to have amassed debts of more than �100m by April, Dr Lister believes the cuts are "the first instalment" and more job losses are on the way.
 |  Other hospitals will see this is the new flavour of the month and we will see many more announcements  |
Last week, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust revealed it was axing 1,000 posts - one job in seven - to clear its �17m debt.
The trust chairman and four non-executive directors resigned last year when two sets of auditors failed to pick up on an �18m overspend.
The cuts then prompted the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to say it feared a financial crisis in parts of the NHS would lead to further job losses.
Four days later, it was announced that nearly 300 jobs will go at two of the largest hospitals in Shropshire as the health trust there battles a �30m debt which resulted in the resignation of the finance director.
'Contradictory policies'
On Tuesday, the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust said 300 jobs must go at New Cross Hospital in the city because of �37m debts.
And, on Wednesday, unions said they feared further job cuts at Birmingham Women's Hospital after it was revealed 13 jobs are to be lost.
Hospitals bosses have been told to cut waiting lists, reduce waiting times and ensure people are seen in A&E within four hours.
Reforms to make the NHS market driven and give patients a choice of where to have non-emergency operations have also been introduced.
"The West Midlands has had its fair share of trust deficits and they seem to have got worse," said Dr Lister, who helps provide research for health unions and campaigns within the NHS.
"The contradictory policies which put them in this situation are still in place and the government is pulling trusts in different directions.
"The policies are said to be priorities but can't all be done at once."
Following the Staffordshire announcement, health secretary Patricia Hewitt denied the raft of current NHS reforms had caused the present financial problems, saying that they would actually solve them.
'Improved NHS'
But Dr Lister said: "The North Staffordshire job cuts have really broken the silence.
"It is the first high profile one and with the board resigning over the debt," he said.
"Other hospitals will see this is the new flavour of the month and we will see many more announcements from now and into the first few weeks of the financial year.
"The trusts are realising that the measures they put in place are not big enough and more cuts are on the way."
Ms Hewitt said the most effective hospitals are doing more day case operations, using fewer agency staff and working with local GPs and community nurses to avoid unnecessary emergency admissions.
"Let's not forget that most of our hospitals are not only improving patient care, and not only hitting the targets, but they're doing it within their substantially increased budgets," she said.
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