Plans to axe scores of doctors and nurses at west London's hospitals are being revised.
On April 30, the Chronicle reported how 265 nurses and 49 doctors at Imperial NHS Trust faced losing their jobs over the next five years under Labour plans to save money.
But the new coalition government has radically shaken up its plans for the NHS in London and has forced as a rethink among hospital bosses about their plans, although cuts of some description are still likely to go ahead.
It is unclear at this stage what exactly the future holds for staff and patients at Imperial's hospitals – Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea and St Mary's in Westminster – although a spokeswoman indicated the new plans would focus more on streamlining administrative departments, rather than wholesale axings of front-line staff.
She said: "The article (Fulham Chroincle, April 30) was based on information submitted for a draft integrated business plan (IBP) which referenced forecasts which are now out of date. We are currently in the process of revising our IBP.
"While we anticipate some reductions in staff numbers in the coming years they will be accommodated mainly through natural wastage and reallocation of staff to other parts of the Trust. These will be coupled with efficiency gains in administration throughout the Trust.”
NHS London has been rocked since the election, with chairman Sir Richard Sykes and non-executive director Gerry Acher quitting after clashing with new Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
Mr Lansley disagrees with the 'one size fits all' plans to build more super-surgeries, which NHS London says will save £5 billion a year to protect future health services.
Mr Lansley said: “The powerbase is shifting in order to deliver better quality services with improve accessibility for patients. That means disempowering the top-down hierarchy so that services are designed around the needs of patients, GPs as commissioners and local authorities.”
