"It is time to end rumour and speculation about health cuts. The service in the grip of a financial crisis. Services are being slashed, patients are being affected and jobs are being lost", said Patricia.·
An Anderstown News editorial said, "Yesterday, Patricia McKeown, Regional Secretary of UNISON and one of our most-respected union stalwarts, put it up to the powersharing Executive as it contemplates another round of cuts which will hurt hard pressed communities most.
“The Executive most hold to account and restructure or abolish Invest NI and other economic agencies which have failed to produce quality economic outcomes,” she said in a letter to government which warned that the equality promise of the Good Friday Agreement was being stymied. http://www.belfastmedia.com/editorial_article.php?ID=534
In a press statement, Patricia said "UNISON expects formal announcements that hundreds of beds will be removed from our already overstretched health system. The rumours about the City, the Royal and the Ulster are true and there are others yet to be declared."
Patricia said that further services will be stripped out from their current locations and thousands of jobs will be affected. Every Health Trust is in the grip of a financial crisis totalling at least £65m.
UNISON predicted this 2 years ago when it campaigned against the cuts — on the NI health and social services budget.
"There is cold comfort in being right", said Patricia. "Politicians and senior administrators must stop talking pretending that this is about health care improvement. It is also no longer about ‘efficiency’.
Patient care is already affected at primary, acute and community care level."
The latest proposals cut at the heart of health care and frontline services.
UNISON is gearing up to take this fight into the public arena. Patricia said, "Somebody has to stand up for our health service. Once again it will be left to front line health workers to defend them on behalf of us all".
Meetings of UNISON members in Belfast were holding emergency meetings tis afternoon and others will follow tomorrow in White Abbey and Mid Ulster with meetings across the whole service to follow.
Patricia said every community in Northern Ireland will be affected by what is happening in health. Existing health inequalities are set to grow. lf you just lost your job in cistern, Novel or Seagate you need your health and social services more than ever. If you are a local farmer or business trading with the health service your contracts are under threat.
If you are a local retailers depending on people with jobs in health care -as most communities in Northern Ireland do - then their job less threatens your livelihood too.
"Unless our politicians take direct action now to re-organise the health budget then we face the single most effective way of dragging Northern ireland deep into depression. We have run out of time. UNISON is rising to this challenge. We will demonstrate and where there is no alternative we will take industrial action We urge everyone else to join with us."
UNISON's Health Group has pledges support to the campaign.