Nurses force trust to rethink cuts

Theatre nurses at a South London hospital have forced management to go back to the drawing board over plans to cut overtime and make them work on bank shifts instead.

The plans – drawn up by management consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of a cost-cutting drive – affect 150 theatre staff at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, most of whom are nurses.

But at a meeting with management representatives, staff refused to go back to work unless their views were taken into account. The trust has now agreed to consult with Unison over any plans to change working arrangements.

A trust spokesperson said: 'We are working with our staff throughout this change and all proposals will continue to be discussed with staff and their union representatives.'