The carefully aimed Coalition Weapons Of Mass Destruction hit the London Ambulance Service this week. Talk about Heat Seeking Missiles: we have been hit by Health Seeking Missiles.
Launched from Millionaires Row in Whitehall they have scored a direct hit. A successful public service targeted and the people of London used as collateral damage.
We knew it was coming. I have been warning for months that ambulance services are not immune. We may be better placed than most health trusts, but we are certainly not immune to the anti-public sector policies of this government.
We were told that the Health Service would be protected and ring-fenced.
Lie!
We were told that ‘front line’ jobs would be safe.
Lie!
We were told that patients would not be affected.
Lie!
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) published, and shared with staff, their five year Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) this week. This programme is in response to the withdrawing of a huge chunk of funding and it details how the Service will comply. As salary and wage bills are the biggest cost by far to the Service it is no surprise that the reduction of posts is the first to be hit on.
Not right. Not fair. Not acceptable.
890 posts are to be lost in the next five years within the London Ambulance Service. 890! An 18% reduction by 2015. By any measure that is shocking. By any measure that is too severe. By any measure that is damaging.
£53 million is to be withdrawn from the funding over the next five years. Where is the ring-fencing? Where are the safe front line jobs? How can patients not be affected?
UNISON has been pro-active in condemning these cuts as a vicious attack, not only on highly trained posts, but also on the people of London and the LAS.
London will be a less safe place to be ill or injured if all of these cuts go ahead, no matter how much we tinker around with alternative responses.
We can bet our bottom dollar that private ambulance companies are about to have a massive recruitment drive. There is a £53 million bait dangling in front of their salivating faces.
Everyone in our Service is employed in a post that helps us deliver patient care. We rely on each other. The Coalition are misleading the public with their ‘front line/backroom’ division of staff.
They don’t fool us.
We all played a part in getting the Service from being described as the worst performing, to (ten years later), becoming the best performing.
UNISON supports public services. We support the staff of the London Ambulance Service. We are proud of our involvement in the improvements to our Service.
We are not going to give them up lightly.
It was reported on Tuesday 12th April that Sir David Nicholson (NHS Chief Executive) ‘has warned health bosses that patient care should not suffer as a result of the service’s (NHS) need to save £20bn by 2015.
The axeing of 560 front line jobs by the London Ambulance Service forced Nicholson to issue his second reminder in 72 hours to NHS managers not to cut back on the services they provide.
It was the potential closure of ambulance stations in the capital and significantly increased use of solo paramedics to respond to calls that prompted his intervention…’ (The Guardian 12th April 2011).
This was after UNISON denounced the cuts.
There has to be a serious review and a rethink regarding the reductions of posts. That has to happen now.
____________________
 If you are reading this, work for the London Ambulance Service or are eligible to join, and are not yet a member of UNISON Join Today!
 I Am Frontline You Are Frontline We Are All FrontlineÂ
We are stronger together.
Â
Eric Roberts
Branch Secretary
Â
Â
Â
