Union warns Suffolk nursing cuts put vulnerable at risk as petition tops 1,600

Why it matters: The union representing local government workers says the proposed shake-up puts support for some of Suffolk's most vulnerable people at risk, adding weight to concerns already raised by council staff, opposition councillors and hundreds of residents.

The details: Suffolk County Council is consulting on changes to how it supports children, young people and families.

• Among the proposals is scrapping the community staff nurse role, which currently supports children and families through home visits as part of the health visiting service.
• As many as 49 roles could be facing the axe, although the council did not confirm any job losses.
• As part of the changes, the council said it would increase the number of health visitors, but it is unclear how many new posts would be created.

Through the service, families are entitled to at least five health reviews during and after pregnancy, designed to monitor a child's health and development, support parents, and identify concerns early. Staff nurses not only help carry out these mandatory reviews, but also provide extra ongoing support where needed, including to families with pre-term babies and those whose children have special educational needs.

A petition calling on the council to keep its "lifeline" community staff nurses has now reached more than 1,600 signatures.

Health worker warns Suffolk nursing cuts would be ‘disastrous’

A Suffolk County Council health visitor of more than a decade has warned that proposed cuts to nursing staff would be “absolutely disastrous” for vulnerable families. Up to 49 nursing roles could be axed as part of a wider overhaul of children’s health services.

Ipswich.co.ukOliver Rouane-Williams

What they're saying: Neil Bland, UNISON's Suffolk branch secretary, said: "These changes are designed to cut costs, not improve lives.

"Suffolk County Council is proposing to do away with specialist support with no apparent plan for how the work will be absorbed across the rest of the service.

"Prevention costs less than cure. By squeezing early intervention services, the council is just creating problems down the line."

One health visitor, with more than a decade of experience, previously described nurses as "the backbone of the service" and said without them it "would all be compromised".

The other side: A council spokesperson said the authority wanted to hear from a wide range of people before any final decisions were made.

"Our proposals are designed to strengthen early intervention – we want specialist staff to have more time to help children and families at an early stage and to focus on prevention and safeguarding, rather than being stretched to fill gaps elsewhere in the system," they said.

The political reaction: The plans have also drawn criticism from opposition groups on the council.

Cllr Laura Smith, the Green spokesperson for public health, said the proposals risked "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" and described them as "short-sighted".

"Cuts to early help for families generally lead to greater expense for the council in future for social care services because people who are struggling have not received the help they need, when they needed it," she said.

Cllr Bobby Bennett, the Conservative spokesperson for children's services, stressed the impact on young people's mental health and parents aged 21 and under.

"For some young people, being able to speak to a trusted professional face-to-face can be the thing that enables them to ask for help in the first place," he said.

"At a time when 70 per cent of school nursing referrals relate to emotional wellbeing and mental health, reducing this early support needs careful consideration."

The bottom line: With a union, opposition councillors and hundreds of residents now voicing concern, pressure is mounting on Suffolk County Council over its plans to cut community staff nurse roles – though the authority insists no final decision has been made.

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