Comprehensive Spending Review must not damage frontline care…

Following last week’s announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), many people outside healthcare may be left thinking that we got off lightly. However, all of you working on the frontline will know that this is simply not true.

While the NHS is one of the few areas to be ring-fenced and spending will increase by a small percentage year on year, the government has ear-marked billions of pounds in efficiency savings across the UK and we fear that these will put services at risk. At a time when the nation relies more and more on the National Health Service, it is a false economy to cut the frontline. Public sector pensions, healthcare investment and care for those with long-term conditions all face devastating financial pressures.

Reading the map on the front page of this website shows that there is already astounding evidence that these efficiency savings are having an impact on jobs and services across the UK.

This means that your involvement in Frontline First really matters. We need your stories and evidence to show what is happening on the ground. We know that the burden on the NHS is only growing and that the real terms cut outlined in the CSR will continue to have an effect on staffing levels and patient care.

Many of you have played a key role in the campaign already, but the fight for the frontline continues. We need you to tell us about cuts, waste and innovations where you work so that together we can put the frontline first.