Nurses asked to work for free

An NHS trust is asking staff to work a day for free to help ease its financial crisis. Workers at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust have been sent a letter asking them to help balance the books.

It has asked staff to donate "just one extra day of work without additional pay as a voluntary contribution" which would benefit the trust, which has a current defecit of almost £17 million.

The leaked memo, written by the trust's human resources director Terry Coode, warns it is facing a "significant financial challenge" this year and hints at dire consequences if the trust fails to hit its March targets.

The trust now finds itself in the unenviable position of being a clear product of the government's failure with NHS policy. Labour have destroyed the NHS most trusts are in a financial defecit, but they are still forced to achieve more and more targets.

The main problem with those targets, is the targets themselves. In order for a trust to account for how well they perform they have to hire administrators, instead of doctors and nurses.

If I was the Director of Human Remains Resources I would be writing to the administrators and asking them to work for free, whilst they are monitoring the government's targets, and leave the front line staff alone. Perhaps Patricia Hewitt should offer to pay a day's worth of her salary to the trust, after all she's caused this mess.