Parents who work at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex, could be left with no childcare following proposals to close the site's nursery by September.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which is estimated to have run up debts of £37.7m last year, has written to parents announcing a 30-day consultation on the future of the nursery, which they say is operating at a loss, which is expected to be around £214,000 this year. The trust says that this money would be better spent on healthcare provision.
The nursery has 63 children on its books and employs 19 staff.
One man, whose wife works at Queen’s told a local newspaper, ‘We have got no alternative means of childcare. I’ve looked into getting our daughter a place somewhere else but there is nothing else available. The only alternative is for my wife to leave work.'
Another parent said, ‘Some parents will no doubt have to seek re-employment due to other nurseries not being able to cater for their shift patterns, or move to different positions.'
A trust spokesperson said, ‘While we are committed to supporting parents and carers, we need to ensure that our focus remains on patient care, particularly in this difficult climate. The nursery is making a loss – expected to be around £214,000 this year. That money could be used on direct patient care. However, we are consulting with nursery employees and trust staff who have children there before any decision is made. If the nursery is closed, we will try to ensure that the staff are re-employed elsewhere in the trust and will work with local nurseries to ensure there is availability for the children of trust staff. We would also draw up plans to use the nursery building for patient services.'
The nursery has 63 children on its books and employs 19 staff.
One man, whose wife works at Queen’s told a local newspaper, ‘We have got no alternative means of childcare. I’ve looked into getting our daughter a place somewhere else but there is nothing else available. The only alternative is for my wife to leave work.'
Another parent said, ‘Some parents will no doubt have to seek re-employment due to other nurseries not being able to cater for their shift patterns, or move to different positions.'
A trust spokesperson said, ‘While we are committed to supporting parents and carers, we need to ensure that our focus remains on patient care, particularly in this difficult climate. The nursery is making a loss – expected to be around £214,000 this year. That money could be used on direct patient care. However, we are consulting with nursery employees and trust staff who have children there before any decision is made. If the nursery is closed, we will try to ensure that the staff are re-employed elsewhere in the trust and will work with local nurseries to ensure there is availability for the children of trust staff. We would also draw up plans to use the nursery building for patient services.'