- Dozens of staff stuck in abolished ICB roles waiting for NHSE redundancy approvals
- South West London ICB launched restructure in April but 52 staff left in limbo
- ICB says it is waiting for approval from NHSE
An integrated care board has apologised to dozens of staff who have waited months for redundancy packages, apparently due to NHS England delaying their approval.
South West London Integrated Care Board began a restructure in April to contribute to cutting 30 per cent of its running costs, as required nationally by the previous government and NHSE.
Fifty-two staff who did not secure roles in the new structure believe they are eligible for redundancy, but months after they were informed their role was no longer wanted, they remain in the defunct roles.
HSJ was told the ICB is paying around £400,000 a month for the unwanted staff, who were previously informed they could expect formal redundancy notices in June or July.
In a note to the group over the summer, seen by HSJ, ICB deputy chief executive Karen Broughton said: “Please accept my apologies for the uncertainty… I had hoped that by now we would be in a position to confirm this.”
She said the ICB was waiting for NHSE approval but acknowledged it was “a process all ICBs in the country are going through, and therefore there is a large amount of information for the national team to consider”.
Several of the staff told HSJ they felt powerless and colleagues had taken sick leave because of the stress.
One said the delay was “costing the taxpayer millions [and] horrible for the risk of staff members’ mental health, the colleagues of these staff that don’t know how to treat the at-risk staff, the system, and the NHS”.
Another described the process as “madness” and said the staff feel “cast aside”, with “capable” people told they are unsuitable for roles but are still waiting for redundancy notices before they can move on.
The ICB told HSJ it had submitted a business case for the redundancies to NHS England in May, the timing of which it said was in line with NHSE guidance.
It added in a statement: “We know this has been a challenging time for all staff, and we have been working hard to support those affected, with additional training and intensive support to find alternative roles.
“We’ve provided the information requested by NHS England at the right times throughout the process — we’re awaiting a decision from NHS England.”
The ICB said it had held one-to-one meetings and run training sessions for staff, who can continue to apply for other continuing posts in the ICB.
NHSE said in a statement: “NHS England takes its responsibilities to staff and the taxpayer seriously. We rigorously challenged this proposal to minimise job losses and keep the cost to the taxpayer as low as possible. We approved the ICB’s request only after we had that assurance – staff and the taxpayer deserve nothing less.”
Story updated at 4pm on 3 October to include a response from NHSE.
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