Type
Internal restructuring
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Yorkshire and the Humber; North Yorkshire;
Location of affected unit(s)
Sector
Health / Social Work
Human Health Services And Activities
Human Health Activities
86 - Human health activities

789 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
376 jobs
Number of planned job creations
Job creation
Announcement Date
16 May 2006
Employment effect (start)
31 May 2006
Foreseen end date
31 December 2007

Description

NHS Direct is proposing to cut hundreds of jobs and close over a fifth of its call centres to help balance the books. It is proposing to close 12 of its smaller call centres, while expanding others, and cutting nearly 800 posts. Set up in 1997, the nurse-led telephone helpline provides a 24-hour advice service for patients across England. The 12 call centres due to close are in Doncaster, York, Cambridge, Scunthorpe, Chester, Bolton, Preston, Chorley, Southport, Croydon, Brighton and Kensington. Of the 789 job losses, 573 would be lost through redundancy with the remaining 216 going through 'natural turnover' over the next 18 months. Staff are being consulted about the changes over the next three months before a final decision is made. Plans for job losses are coupled with the expansion of of some NHS Direct call centres creating 376 new posts. NHS Direct chairman, David Edmonds, said: 'Changes of this scale will impact on staff and we will work with staff side partners to minimise the impact.' He said NHS Direct had a key role to play in helping to transform England's healthcare but it had to ensure the service offered 'excellent clinical quality for patients and value for money for our commissioners and taxpayers'.


Sources

  • 16 May 2006: BBC Website

Citation

Eurofound (2006), NHS Direct, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 63510, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63510.