Suffolk cabinet approves health cuts, but nurses' jobs 'saved'

Why it matters: The changes affect support for pregnant women, new parents and school-age children across Suffolk. The council's own report concedes a "residual adverse impact will remain for some families," and that its mitigation measures "do not remove every adverse effect."

The details: Cabinet voted at its meeting on Tuesday, 10 November, to approve the revised delivery model following a public consultation that ran from 8 July to 18 October and attracted 1,928 responses.

• The council is no longer removing community staff nurses from the health visiting service, after this was the main concern raised by respondents to the consultation.
• The Family Nurse Partnership and Young Parents Pathway will still end as separate programmes, with young parents instead receiving the universal Healthy Child Programme and extra health visiting support "according to assessed need."
• School nursing will move to a more targeted, term-time model, though some resource has been added back in since the original consultation.

By the numbers:

• £3.7m – extra annual funding from the ring-fenced Public Health Grant
• £1.4m – extra annual funding from core council funding, to keep community staff nurses
• £17.7m and £18.6m – the forecast annual cost of the service in 2027/28 and 2028/29 if nothing changed
• £3.1m – funding removed from the service by partner organisations

What they're saying: Cllr June Mummery, in a 20-minute long impassioned speech, said Suffolk's public health funding did not reflect the needs of its population, and that she had written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care calling for an urgent review. "Suffolk families deserve a fair deal," she said.

She rejected the idea the changes amounted to a U-turn. "I regard it as a consultation working exactly as it should," she said, confirming every family currently using the Family Nurse Partnership or Young Parents Pathway would get a transition plan lasting up to six months, with a named health visitor.

Cllr Vicky Armstrong, cabinet member for finance, said the service had been "propped up by one-off funding and reserves," which were not a long-term solution, and that Suffolk received the lowest public health grant per head in the East of England. "The financial position remains tight, and there will be difficult decisions within these proposals," she said.

Cllr Simon Aalders, cabinet member for children and young people, backed the changes but acknowledged the difficulties involved. "We should not pretend otherwise," he said. "But the direction is correct."

The other side: The opposition Green group said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision. Ash Lever, the group's spokesperson for children, young people, education and SEND, said it showed the administration was "not prioritising the most vulnerable Suffolk residents as it should," pointing to the council's equality impact assessments, which she said show adverse impacts on residents with disabilities, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), families living rurally and those already disadvantaged.

Laura Smith, the Green group's spokesperson for public health and public protection, said the council had given "no indication of how many nurses' jobs might be saved," despite presenting itself as "saving" community staff nurses. She also pointed to the council's separate plans to spend between £1m and £2m on a referendum on housing asylum seekers, a matter over which the council has no say, and said staff in the Young Parents Pathway had been told in February that they would lose their jobs.

The Conservative Group also raised concerns after the meeting. Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger, deputy group leader, said the administration "has been quick to claim that it has saved the Community Staff Nurses' jobs, but when asked directly at Cabinet, it couldn't guarantee that their existing positions would be kept." She said: "Offering nurses a different job under a new model is not the same as saving the jobs they currently do."

Cllr Joe Mason, also deputy group leader, separately disputed comments made by Cllr Hadwen, the council leader, about which administration had instigated the consultation. He said: "The previous Conservative administration did not agree to these proposed changes, and the Leader should stop trying to shift responsibility onto others."

On job losses, Stuart Keeble, the council's executive director of public health, communities and public safety, told Cabinet that no figures would be given until a staff consultation had taken place, in line with standard council policy.

Ipswich MP Jack Abbott said: “With so many unanswered questions, and severe warnings about the impact of their cuts, it is extraordinary and deeply concerning that the Reform administration at Suffolk County Council has pushed ahead with their damaging proposals.

“It is clear that, far from ‘saving’ community staff nurses from their own cuts, Reform are now looking to remove essential nursing posts. They have been repeatedly urged to commit to retaining all nurses, yet at every turn they have refused to do so.

“When coupled with cuts to other vital services, it represents another dark day for children and families in Ipswich and Suffolk who now must come to terms with yet another round of cuts.”

For context: Cllr Martin Cook, the Labour group leader, said Cllr Mummery was asked three times during the meeting how many Community Staff Nurse posts would be retained, and did not give a number. He said he had suggested writing the offer of a role and ongoing funding into the cabinet's recommendations, which she did not take up.

The cabinet report states the revised model retains "some Community Staff Nurses" within the health visiting skill mix. Paragraph 119 of the report describes the additional £1.4m funding as supporting retention "for 2027/28", creating a budget pressure to be managed through next year's budget process, though officers told Cabinet the funding was intended to be ongoing. Paragraph 135 of the report states the detailed workforce structure "is not determined by Cabinet through this report," with a formal staff consultation due to begin later this month.

What's next: A formal staff consultation is due to begin in late November or early December, ending in January 2027. Detailed transition arrangements would then be phased in from February 2027, with the new model going live in July 2027, subject to the arrangements being ready. "We will not force them through, simply to meet a deadline," Cllr Mummery said.

The bottom line: Suffolk's cabinet has pressed ahead with a revised Healthy Child Service after a consultation that raised serious concerns about vulnerable families.

Cllr Hadwen and Cllr Mummery were both clear that the community nurse jobs would be saved, but their exact role is subject to change. Opposition councillors say the changes do not go far enough to protect them, and questions remain over how many – if any – jobs will be lost.

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