JSR
Hospital staff already looking to leave

STAFF within the county’s main hospitals are already seeking jobs elsewhere due to the uncertainty over the future of services.

Coun Tony Miller, who made the claim, also criticised bosses at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for failing to keep staff properly informed throughout the Joint Services Review.

"Morale is very low - people are starting to look for other jobs now," he told a meeting of the county council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Neal Stote, head of the Save the Alex campaign, also warned the uncertainty over the future of services at the Alex could lead to them being removed even without any decision on the JSR.

"I am worried what impact the JSR has had on staff and on the ability of the Trust to recruit new staff which it says it is desperately short of. Services being at risk cannot be good for staff morale and is hardly encouraging potential new staff to apply for jobs in the services at risk," he said.

"Given the level of uncertainty and public opposition surrounding the JSR I believe the current models should be scrapped, allowing some staff morale to be restored and the Trust to launch a positive recruitment drive to fill vital positions."

Redditch Borough councillor Pat Witherspoon also warned the uncertainty was causing a lot of anxiety for residents especially the elderly population.

"I had one 86-year-old on the phone to me saying what was happening? Are they closing the Alex? It’s about perception and misinformation, what they are hearing and what they fear. It’s a very difficult situation and the sooner it’s over one way or the other the better."

No-one from the JSR team or the Trust was available to comment at the time the Standard went to press.

Regional news »