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Wednesday 23 February 2011

Putting the figures into perspective

The BBC report that:
'More than 50,000 NHS jobs will be lost because of government spending cuts, a new anti-cuts campaign group says.

Trades Union Congress-backed False Economy said its study showed that NHS trusts were planning to cut 53,000 staff over the next five years - more than double previous union estimates.'
Let's put that figure into perspective; even if we accept the 50,000 jobs figure, this is over four years, which means 12,500 a year. In 2009 official figures showed that the NHS employed 1,432,000 people which is a third more than when Labour came to power in 1997. Taking 12,500 a year off of the payroll means an annual staff reduction of 0.87%. I believe that the average natural wastage figure in the public sector is around 6% per annum. So the 'savage cuts' will account for less that 10% of the jobs lost by natural wastage.

The above assumes that the 50,000 jobs figure is correct but is it? I have my doubts and even if it is why should any of the jobs be front-line jobs, surely there are plenty of administrators and others of the Labour client state who can be eased out of non-productive work first. Surely these administrators will be only too happy to sacrifice their jobs for the greater good of the 'envy of the world' that is the NHS.

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