NHS job cuts

JUST three days ago the News pledged to keep a close eye on how massive NHS cuts would affect the services that hundreds of local patients depend upon.

We said then that the only crumb of comfort was that NHS Lothian had pledged that even though 2,000 staff would be lost in two years, front line services would not be affected.

With the axe looming over the entire public sector, that promise seemed too good to be true . . . and so, indeed, it appears to be.

Today the News reveals that, in fact, almost a half of the 700 jobs earmarked to go in the first year of cuts are expected to be those of nurses.

The health board insists that actual nursing levels will not be affected, and there is talk of non-clinical posts being targeted as part of a restructure of services.

However, it is hard to see how losing so many nurses could do anything other than lower the standard of care patients receive.

And it is hard to avoid the suspicion that even if NHS Lothian did not actually lie about its plans to plug the 60m funding gap, it was at least economical with the truth.

This newspaper has warned for months that no-one can expect services not to suffer as the nation gets to grip with the massive deficit and lower public sector budgets.

But we do expect front line hospital services, schools and policing to be protected as far as possible. And we demand that those in charge are straight with us if they cannot guarantee that protection.

Building blocks

STILL on the theme of essential services during a time of economic difficulty, today we report some success for the scheme to rebuild St Columba's Hospice.

The News-backed "Buy A Brick" appeal has in just a few short weeks raised a remarkable 36,000. Our readers have shown great generosity for this much-loved institution, which helps local families of all – and no – faiths in their time of need.

But these is still much work to be done. The hospice needs to raise 7 million – a large sum, but easily put into context when you consider it is expected to care for 40,000 people over the next 40 years or so. That's 175 to help every patient during their darkest hour.

Times are tough, but this is a cause which deserves our support. And the need for places like St Columba's will be ever more apparent if NHS services suffer under cuts.