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HEALTH service bosses have failed to guarantee the future of thousands of speech and language therapists in secretive plans to dismantle and privatise the NHS, Unite revealed yesterday.
The union, which represents 5,000 of around 15,000 speech and language therapists, has posed questions about their future to those drawing up the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) in 44 areas across England — but has received no answers.
STPs — that opponents have dubbed Slash, Trash and Privatise — involve the closing of multiple hospital and cuts of £22 billion from the NHS budget.
The union asked for assurances that the speech and language therapy service will be maintained; how the workers will be consulted about their future; and how the NHS managers plan to maintain and recruit skilled therapists.
However the lead officers for all 44 regions ignored the questions.
Unite national officer for health Sarah Carpenter said: “The failure of any of the STP lead officers to reply to the legitimate concerns being asked on behalf of speech and language therapists is a collective snub dished out to this hardworking and dedicated profession. It is a disgrace.
“The whole STP exercise has been marked by obfuscation and lack of transparency — this snub is the latest evidence that STPs are a secretive mechanism designed to impose cuts by stealth and subterfuge.”
Earlier last week it was revealed that health bosses have paid top management consultancy firms such as KPMG, McKinsey and Pricewaterhouse Coopers over £17.6 million for advice to formulate STPs
