Nurses fear they will have to quit if hospital nursery closes
Posted 03 October 2023 - 09:00
A petition to save a London NHS trust's nursery has been launched as nurses fear its closure will make their jobs untenable as childcare costs soar
Nurses at a London hospital fear they will have to quit their jobs if a children’s nursery run by the trust is closed down.
A consultation has been launched to decide the future of the Mousehole Nursery, which University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) runs for children of 24 members of staff at a subsidised rate. It has been operating for about 25 years.
Staff fear the nursery’s closure will have a negative effect on recruitment and retention
The trust said it had to take the ‘difficult decision’ to consult on the nursery’s closure because it is being run at a loss. A petition to keep it open has had more than 1,800 signatures with staff worried the closure will affect recruitment and retention at UCLH and ‘disproportionately’ affect women.
UCLH clinical nurse specialist Tania Jacinto told Nursing Standard that she might not be able to work or have to reduce her hours if the nursery closes down as she will have to pay between £2,000 and £2,200 a month at another nursery. She currently pays £1,200 a month for full-time childcare.
‘There are no other viable childcare options available locally for my son. The nurseries around here either offer fewer hours, have long waiting lists or are very expensive,’ she said.
‘We don’t have any family nearby and my husband works in an intensive care unit, so his schedule is impossible to manage around childcare.’
She said fees at the Mousehole Nursery are dependent on staff wages, so those on lower bands pay less and those in higher positions pay more. The payment is also taken as a salary sacrifice, which she says makes it more affordable.
Another UCLH clinical nurse specialist Talia Merricks said the news had left her with a ‘sour taste': ‘I love my job, I feel proud to work at UCLH but I feel like my commitment to the trust will dwindle because of this. I don’t think I could warrant working the hours I currently do so I will have to consider reducing them or look for another job,’ she added.
Nursery is expected to make an annual loss of £263,000
UCLH said the nursery made a £274,000 loss in 2022-23 and is expected to make a £263,000 loss in 2023-24. Its lease was due to run out in April 2024 and has been extended until September 2024 to give parents enough time to make alternative arrangements.
A spokesperson said: ‘UCLH is considering the views of nursery staff and parents and whether it is reasonable to fund a nursery that runs at a considerable loss and benefits fewer than 30 staff members.
‘We are acutely aware of the impact this will have on staff working at the nursery, families and children, and we will provide as much support to them as possible.’
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