Hundreds of matrons face sack

The new tier of nurses, unveiled with great fanfare six years ago, brought to mind the bustling, no-nonsense figure of Hattie Jacques in the Carry On films.

More health...

• Chemo-free cancer cure 'will save thousands'

• NHS 'wasting £300m a year' on branded drugs

About 3,000 modern matrons have been appointed on salaries of between £30,000 and £35,000, and it was hoped they would spearhead efforts to cut superbug infections such as MRSA.

Now the Royal College of Nursing says that the nurses - who are among the most experienced in the profession - are being targeted for redundancies.

They are already being cut in Lancashire, Staffordshire and Cambridgeshire. In the Midlands, 180 matrons are under threat.

Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "I am very concerned about matrons being targeted as trusts struggle to cut costs. They are highly experienced nurses who can make a life-or-death difference to patients.

"As well as being a reassuring first point of contact for patients and their families, matrons play a crucial role in reducing hospital-acquired infections and driving up standards of care.

"With so much time and money having been spent reviving the role, losing their skills and expertise now would be a short-term economy with long-term consequences for patients."

Eleven matrons have been told they will lose their jobs at Burnley General and Royal Blackburn hospitals in East Lancashire as part of £15.6million of cuts. Last night one of them said it would mean lower standards of care. "Collectively there is over 200 years of clinical experience in the group of matrons under threat, with many more years in us,' she said.

A spokesman for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said it aimed to keep the care-related part of the jobs while losing the managerial element.

In the Midlands, two matrons have already been fired at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the RCN has fought to save the jobs of six in Worcestershire.

Announcing their reintroduction in April 2001, the then Health Secretary, Alan Milburn, said: "We're bringing back matron - with a new job and new powers for today's NHS.

"Matron will make sure the wards are clean, the food is good, the care is there."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Some NHS organisations may have recruited more staff than they could afford but they are now addressing this through restructuring. In some cases there have been job losses."