Spending plans for the public sector workforce need to be urgently revisited

Responding to new analysis from the Insitute for Fiscal Studies on the public sector workforce, Matthew Taylor chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“At a time when waiting lists are nearly topping 7 million and there are already 132,000 vacancies in the NHS, health leaders will very concerned that to make additional cost savings they will have to pare back staff numbers even further.

“NHS leaders would urge the government to urgently revisit their spending plans for the public sector workforce or risk even greater impact on frontline patient care.

“The Secretary of State recently acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing both the NHS and social care sector and also recognised the link between prosperity and health. Those words now need to be turned into action as we head into what will be one of the worst winters for decades, and we urgently need a fully costed and funded workforce plan for the NHS.”