Plans to cut around 500 jobs at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust could damage patient care, UNISON warns today.
The trust, which employs more than 11,000 people in Norwich and Cromer, told staff this week that the jobs must go to balance the books.
Government ministers have told NHS trusts to reduce support staff numbers to cut “bureaucracy.” But UNISON says support staff play an essential role in helping clinicians deliver patient care.
The trust hasn’t specified where the cuts will land, but has said it will try to minimise redundancies by not filling vacancies. It is also planning to offer all staff the chance to take a package to leave.
UNISON Eastern head of health Caroline Hennessy said: “It’s too early to know exactly where the axe is going to fall at the Norfolk and Norwich, but it’s hard to imagine a world where 500 jobs going doesn’t hit patient care.
“Whether it’s front-line staff or the workers supporting them, cutting numbers will affect the ability of nurses, doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs.
“Everyone in hospitals plays their part in the smooth running of the health service but these cuts will make life harder for already overstretched clinical workers. The NHS needs real investment in staff, not a cull of jobs.”
