This is a question many people in the National Health Service (NHS) must be asking themselves after a leaked document revealed that staff in the south-west of England will have to work more, get less, whilst still adhering to those strict targets set up for trusts all over the country.
I believe everybody understands that there will be pay cuts/freezes for people in all sectors, but those in the NHS are seemingly being hit over and over and over again. The latest comes from a leaked document which reveals the following. Staff will have to deal with:
- Salary reductions across the board.
- Even more cuts to their allowances.
- Considerably more hours.
- The amount of leave they have per year reduced.
- Mass changes to their sickness benefits.
- And to put the flies on the pile of faeces, they will all be dismissed and will have to reapply for their own jobs.
And this is ignoring absolutely everything to do with NHS pensions. So if they are earning less after these changes whilst still having to pay more then what’s left? Why would anybody want to work for the public healthcare system in this country? Let’s get one thing straight. The health system is one of the toughest to work in as hours are long, targets are strict, and it gets battered by disgruntled members of the public and the media on a consistent basis. It’s like they are trying to destroy the whole thing and turn us into an Americanised copy.
Let’s look at one area of the health system that’s tiny these days. The dentists. Now, have you ever tried getting an appointment with a dentist in this country outside of the private sector? If you haven’t then I assure you that you certainly won’t find it easy as there are so few dentists. Yes, it’s true that all dentists in this country have to go through a few years of training in the public system before going into private practice, but how many of them are going to stay? You get less than private practice and you are under the control of somebody else, what’s the point?
All these changes are going to do is continue to push the brightest and the best out of this country and into the waiting arms of another country. Alternatively, if they decide to stay then they are probably either going to create or join a private practice instead. So tell me one thing, exactly how does the government hope to keep a fresh and competitive health system when they are constantly throwing people out of it with their ludicrous changes? I hope for the future of the NHS that their answer is a pretty damn good one.
