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7 Jan 2003
UNISON challenges SNP over NHS managers figures
Scotland's largest Health Care Union, UNISON, today disputed the
SNP's claim that Senior Managers in the NHS have increased by 11%
and challenged John Swinney, the Party Leader to state how many
Managers they will sack and how much money they (the SNP) claim
they will save as a result.
"This morning the SNP are claiming that the number of Senior Managers
in the Scottish Health Service has increased by 11%. We dispute
these figures", said Jim Devine, UNISON Scottish Organiser for Health.
"A direct extract from the ISD's National Health Service
statistics shows:
|
Year
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999 |
2000
|
2001 |
| Senior Management |
2395
|
2271
|
2065
|
1993
|
1844
|
| General Manager and Chief Executive |
65
|
62
|
47
|
45
|
42
|
| Senior Manager - Executive Level |
..
|
..
|
..
|
279
|
563
|
| Senior Manager - Grades 0-12 |
2128
|
2024
|
1809
|
1555
|
1175
|
| Senior Manager - Trust Grades |
99
|
93
|
151
|
57
|
25
|
| Senior Manager - Old Grades |
104
|
92
|
58
|
57
|
39
|
"These figures show that instead of an increase of
11% that in fact there is a decrease of nearly 25% since 1997. The
management costs in the NHS account for around 4% of the total budget
which compares well with the private sector where management costs
range between 12% to 15%.
"A recent survey carried out by UNISON showed that Senior Managers
in the NHS work on average more than 60 hours per week. NHS Managers
may be seen as an easy target for politicians, but the reality is
that they are as vital to the NHS as doctors and nurses in the delivery
of care. One has to ask what impact John Swinney's comments this
morning will have on the morale and motivation of NHS Managers when
he is blandly talking about reducing their numbers and redirecting
savings into, allegedly, front-line patient care.
"From a UNISON perspective, the NHS needs more quality Managers,
not less. In a very practical example, nearly half the Trusts in
Scotland today have grading claims lodged by their staff. Some of
these claims go back 18 months and the reasons they have not been
processed are because of the lack of a managerial structure and
support.
"Last week UNISON called for an open and honest debate about the
future of the NHS in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections
in May. So if John Swinney should publicly state how many Senior
Managers in the NHS do the SNP intend to remove, how much money
that would save."
Ends
For Further Information Please Contact: Jim Devine on: 0870-7777-006
or 07876-441-239
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