Hospital trust planning 'up to 350 redundancies'
BBCA hospital trust is preparing to make up to 350 job cuts, including some clinical roles, according to a union.
University Hospital's North Midlands Trust has said it was facing pressure on its budgets as well as increased demand on its services as winter approaches.
The trust confirmed it was launching a time-limited voluntary redundancy scheme and a period of restricted recruitment. Patient safety and continuity remained its priority, it added.
Chanel Camilleri-Willis, from the union Unison, said the potential for job losses was "massively worrying" for staff and said it had been a "rushed course of action".
The trust's acting chief executive, Helen Ashley, said that UHNM was taking "a number of steps to respond to the significant financial pressures facing the trust.
"Applications will be carefully considered against service needs, and essential recruitment will continue where required to maintain safe and effective patient care."
Camilleri-Willis told BBC Radio Stoke the union was initially told that the trust was carrying a £60m deficit, but then within a week that number had jumped to £73m.
She said that at first the union was told the trust was looking for a staffing reduction of 225 posts, but this had jumped to 350.
Winter pressures were now affecting the trust year-round, she added, and it was entering "the thick of it" as the colder months approached.
To cut costs, the union had suggested reducing agency spending, which Camilleri-Willis described as costing a "phenomenal amount" of money.
"It's really worrying for us as a public service union, thinking about our members but then also the community that this NHS trust serves," she said.
"They're not the only trust to have run a voluntary redundancy scheme within the region."
Camilleri-Willis added: "In terms of protecting frontline services, the fact that they are willing to entertain clinical posts applying as part of this scheme is really unusual and again is a massive concern for us."
There were also concerns it would add pressure to staff left behind, she said.
"We know from our members that they are burnt out anyway, so for those that do stay, this is going to be extra pressure on them too."
Ian Syme, a campaigner for NHS improvements, said the trust needed to address waiting lists and its urgent and emergency care services, which he felt were currently failing the local community.
"I'm deeply concerned about the voluntary redundancies and the pause on vacancies, although I know there are very severe performance issues at UHNM which have been cited by NHS England," he said.
He added: "I think you will get extended delays to waiting lists, and I think you're going to get extended [ambulance] delays unless quite drastic action is taken."
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