Warning cuts will make health problems worse
PLANNED cuts to community health services will make Glasgow’s much documented problems like life expectance even worse, it has been warned.
Glasgow’s Integration Joint Board is meeting this week to approve cuts of more than £ 6 million that will see more than 100 jobs axed.
The Glasgow Times revealed the planned cuts last week.
Unison, which represents health and care workers in the city, said they must be stopped and funding found to save vital services for some of the most vulnerable people in Glasgow.
It is feared the people in the poorest communities will be most affected.
Gerry McCartney, professor of wellbeing economy, at Glasgow University, said: “Life expectancy in the poorest 30% of areas in Scotland has been getting worse for 12 years now as a result of austerity policies.
“Further cuts to NHS services, including health visitors, is likely to make this situation even worse.
“Governments at all levels need to realise the catastrophic impacts that austerity is continuing to have on our communities.”
The cuts will see jobs in public health, mental health, addictions and care at home lost, with a hospitalat- home service to be axed completely.
Margaret McCarthy, Unison assistant branch secretary for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: “Our members in community health teams go above and beyond to save lives and build the health of the people of Glasgow.
“Given the pressure on the services they work in and the huge unmet need in the city, it is beyond belief that we are seeing cuts to NHS jobs.
“Local and national politicians must step in to save these jobs and protect health service capacity.”
The union wants the Scottish Government to step in and prevent the cuts.
Cathy Miller, Unison Branch Secretary for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: “As a trained nurse and a longstanding rep in the NHS, I am shocked that this Government is allowing cuts to jobs front line health service jobs in Glasgow.
“Until intervention from Unison, the IJB was preparing to cut so many health visitors that they’d be in breach of the recommendations from a Fatal Accident Inquiry.
“They are still about to cut jobs from a range of services, including children’s health services, and I am calling on John Swinney and Neil Gray to step in and stop this madness.”
In a written report to be considered by the IJB, at its meeting on Wednesday, Wearing said: “Our priority has been to protect core services which deliver care to those who are acutely unwell, support prevention measures and deliver evidenced impact in improving the health and wellbeing of those who access service.
“The outcome is that we have proposals which will result in reducing services which are not core services to enable us to support those services which have the greatest impact in relation to improving the health and wellbeing of those who access these services.”