Scotland’s health minister faced accusations of risking patient care after announcing almost 4,000 NHS jobs will be axed this year.
Nicola Sturgeon said about 3,790 posts will be scrapped in the health service, including 1,523 nurses and midwives and 1,053 administrators.
She insisted patients will not be affected by the cuts and assured staff there will be no compulsory redundancies, with the final total only decided after trade unions have been consulted.
But Labour and doctors’ leaders warned the cuts cannot be made without affecting front line services because the NHS is operating at “full capacity”.
Announcing the cuts, Miss Sturgeon said: “The NHS always has been, and remains, a top priority for this government. But the reality is that NHS budgets are tight and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
“It is my job to ensure the NHS delivers the best quality of care, manages the financial challenges facing it, and takes the right decisions now to secure services in the future.” Read more…
