Union spokesman reveals NHS reform fears

A union spokesman for health in the East Midlands has said he is concerned about the nature of the NHS reforms, even if reforms are needed.

Andy Belfield of Unison has admitted that there is “scope for reform”, but he claimed that many are concerned over the financial crisis currently in the NHS.

Furthermore, the involvement of the private sector has also caused worry among healthcare professionals and other staff in the NHS, the expert asserted.

Speaking to BBC Two’s Daily Politics programme, Mr Belfield commented: “We are very pleased to see how many new jobs have been created, but our difficulty now is that that created big changes and big improvements.”

He added that the fact that the government has told NHS trusts to balance their budgets within six months does not represent reform.

“[That] is not a sensible programme – that is basically causing financial chaos,” Mr Belfield stated.

The government has claimed that the NHS deficit is small in comparison to the organisation’s overall budget and that claims of job cuts from unions and opposition parties have been exaggerated.