Public Assistance-Hôpitaux de Paris plans to cut 779 non-medical posts next year.

The Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) plans to remove 779 non-medical posts next year, to redress its "financial situation still deteriorated" after a year 2018 again marked by a heavy deficit, according to a document consulted by AFP.

The accounts of the AP-HP will remain in the red in 2019 with an estimated loss of 137 million euros, against 181 million expected this year, according to the budget that will be presented next week to unions.

"Control of staff costs"

After the sharp deterioration recorded in 2017, the largest French hospital again pays the price of an activity lower than forecast, aggravated by the rate cuts decided by the government. The return to financial equilibrium will mainly pass through a strict "control of staff costs" , which will not increase until 2023.

This "stability" has already led this year to the net elimination of 405 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. In 2019, it will result in a decrease of 779 FTEs in the non-medical workforce, including 240 FTEs in the care services, not counting the expected savings "thanks to a reduction in temporary work" . "We have extremely demanding demands on the payroll," even though "our supervisors admit that we can not do less than zero," APP chief executive Martin Hirsch told AFP.

"Lived like an extra screw tower"

"We would rather create jobs rather than delete" but "we have undertaken a number of changes to be able to accompany this," he said, referring in particular to the growth of ambulatory activity (without hospitalization) , the "effects of digitization" and the move of the headquarters of the AP-HP in 2021.

On the side of the unions, this 2019 budget is instead seen as "a turn of the extra screw," reacted Olivier Youinou (SOUTH) who fears "after the freeze, we are told the decline in payroll" and predicts " a thousand FTEs removed in 2019 " .

"We reach the bone and this has consequences for patient safety , " warned Rose-May Rousseau (CGT), referring to "closures of beds and services because of lack of staff . "