Anger at NHS Trust's job cuts
Updated on 18 July 2007
Health unions have reacted with shock and anger after an NHS Trust announced plans to axe 600 jobs - a third of its workforce - in a bid to cut millions of pounds from its budget.
Managers from the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust gave the grim news to staff, warning that "hard decisions" will have to be taken if the area's hospitals are to continue to provide a wide range of services.
Union officials warned the cuts will have a "devastating" impact on patient care at the Trust's main hospital in Scarborough and other sites in Whitby, Malton and Bridlington.
The Trust said it ended the last financial year with a deficit of over £7 million and a cumulative debt of £20 million.
Patients are staying in hospital for shorter periods and more health care is provided in the community so fewer beds on fewer wards are needed, said Director of Finance Sandy Hogg.
Around £15 million of savings are needed, so the Trust is aiming to cut 600 staffing posts by next April by closing wards, reducing non clinical support services and changing the way it delivers some services so that fewer staff are needed.
Karen Jennings, Unison's head of health, said: "These 600 compulsory redundancies will resonate across the NHS and strike fear into the heart of local communities and staff where there are historic debts.
"A situation this serious cannot be a matter solely for local NHS managers. We need a fresh approach from the new Secretary of State for Health and we will be asking for an urgent meeting to sort out this mess."
Kevin Austerberry, the Royal College of Nursing's regional director in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "This decision has the potential to threaten patient care, destroy staff morale and rip the heart out of the local community."
Geoff Martin, of campaign group Health Emergency, said: "This nails the lie that Alan Johnson and Gordon Brown are listening to healthcare workers. This is same old-fashioned drastic cuts we had under Tony Blair's regime."
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