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Docs’ job-saving operation
Medics campaign to save posts at college over fears for hospital
DOCTORS’ leaders have vowed to step up their fight to save more than 100 academic and clinical research jobs at Imperial College after bosses agreed to scale back redundancy proposals.
The West End Extra reported last month on notes from a British Medical Association (BMA) meeting revealing fears that staff cuts at Imperial would impact on care at St Mary’s Hospital.
The Paddington NHS Trust merged with Imperial College last year to become the country’s first Academic Health Science Centre. A £5million cut to the annual higher education funding budget at Imperial led to proposals to axe 77 academic posts and 26 clinical researchers, many of whom train doctors at St Mary’s.
The BMA has lobbied against the changes and Imperial has agreed to saved 45 jobs – but 21 academics and nine clinical researchers are facing the chop.
BMA academic staff committee chairman Michael Rees said: “The BMA has been instrumental in reducing the number of threatened redundancies.
“There is significant work ongoing with the doctors still deemed at risk.”
Imperial insists patient care at St Mary’s will not be affected despite the BMA notes revealing fears that “training and service delivery” at the Paddington hospital could be severely damaged.
A spokeswoman for Imperial said: “Every effort has been made to avoid compulsory redundancies. A total of 26 academic members of staff have been advised that their posts are redundant, and discussions are ongoing with a further six.
“Imperial has agreed a new structure for its faculty of medicine that will safeguard its internationally leading research and education activities, and address a significant projected deficit.
“The faculty has also created the post of director of education to maintain and enhance the high quality of its teaching and student supervision.
“Throughout the consultation process, meetings were held with the college’s partner NHS trusts to ensure that the proposed changes would not adversely affect patient care and services.” |
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