Job cuts announced for the James Paget Hospital

Posted 24/02/2012

In an attempt to save ?19.5m by 2014, the James Paget Hospital has announced that 64 staffing posts are at risk of redundancy to save money.

The Trust has seen a turbulent few months with chairman John Hemming resigning in November following critical Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports. The hospital is in search of a new chairman but has yet to appoint someone. The hospital has also had difficulties with the Norovirus bug which has led to many wards being closed down to prevent further spread.

The Trust has confirmed that the redundancies should save approximately ?1m a year with other savings being made as a result of contractual changes.

Sharon Allison, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal says: “The Trust has advised that the posts are mainly administration and support service roles and that there is only one clinical post that might be affected. It does beg the question whether the cuts may mean more administration for nursing and clinical staff taking them away from essential patient care.The Trust has been facing some very difficult times lately and this latest announcement of job cuts will undoubtedly have a significant impact on morale. It is hoped that such measures can be achieved without any compromise to staffing consistency and patient safety, which is always a concern when redundancies are considered.”