West Midlands NHS trust set to cut 450 jobs as part of budget savings
An NHS hospital trust is to cut 450 jobs in a bid to make budget savings.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, which currently employs 7,500 people, said the announcement should come as “no surprise” as it had been explicit about the need to reign-in spending.
It has announced a staff consultation starting in July to shed 250 full-time roles and another 200 temporary posts.
Job cuts are expected to begin at the trust in the autumn, but health bosses have said they will work to redeploy affected staff.
The trust has a £430 million annual budget to run a range of services including two hospitals in Birmingham and the West Midlands for more than half a million people.
Sandwell and West Birmingham trust is also set to take charge of the new £588 million Midland Metropolitan Hospital when it opens in 2018.
Raffaela Goodby, the trust’s director of organisational development, said: “Like all NHS organisations, we need to deliver safe care within a budget.
“We have been explicit for several years with our staff, trade union partners, local taxpayers and NHS commissioners, that this will involve reducing the amount we spend on our pay costs, whilst increasing and protecting staff training spend.
“This has regularly been featured in the local media and is no surprise.
She added: “This July, we will take the latest step in making those changes as we consult on the redeployment of staff, and changes to roles, across our organisation.
“We expect those changes to affect around 250 existing staff, and a further 200 roles presently covered by temporary staff.
“The consultation will examine additional and alternative ideas, before we move forward with changes this autumn.
The trust said as part of long-term plan of cost-savings and providing care for the future it had successfully redeployed staff over the last two years.
It has said it will now work with those employees affected by the latest announcement.
Ms Goodby said: “These are difficult issues for staff and teams and we will spend the time needed to proceed safely and with sensitivity to individual circumstances.”
In his trust chief executive’s blog last month, Toby Lewis said: “This July we will begin another major workforce change consultation, moving staff between roles, to be fit for the future.
“It is bound to occasion some comment and anxiety.
“I hope that local residents, and our teams, can trust us when we reiterate that this is a long term plan, underpinned by a determination to support people with retraining and redeployment.”
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