NHS may be devastated by crisis in economy

The economic crisis could have "devastating" consequences for the NHS, with cutbacks to patient services and redundancies, said doctors' leaders.

Front-line services are already feeling the pressure, with some 40 per cent of hospital doctors questioned saying treatments or therapies are being limited, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

The BMA warned that redundancies, recruitment freezes and service cutbacks are the "early signs of the impact of the economic crisis" on the NHS.

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It published survey results from 92 doctors on the eve of its annual conference in Brighton, where NHS finances are likely to dominate the debate.

Some 72 per cent of the doctors surveyed said their health trust had postponed or cancelled clinical service developments because of financial pressures, while 42 per cent said there were limitations on prescribing. The poll found that trusts are trying to make annual savings of 6 per cent on average.

The Government has promised to guarantee NHS spending growth in real terms but the BMA says this will be "minimal".

NHS trusts have been told to find up to 20bn in "efficiency savings", which some campaigners say will lead to large cuts in patient services.

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The survey found 24 per cent of hospital doctors had been told redundancies were planned in their trust. Most posts are non-medical, however, with consultants and career-grade doctors apparently spared.

Chairman of the BMA Dr Hamish Meldrum said: "While we accept that difficult decisions need to be taken in this tight financial climate, there is a real danger that cutting back on health now will have a long-lasting impact on our ability to maintain high-quality, comprehensive and universal care in the future."

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