Royal West Sussex NHS Trust has joined the long list of health service organisations to announce job losses in an attempt to head off a financial crisis.
The trust, which runs St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, plans to shed 200 jobs during the next two years as part of plans to save more than £8m.
It said it hopes to move staff to other posts within the organisation to avoid wholesale redundancies, but that compulsory job losses may have to be made as a last resort.
Ian Watson, director of HR at Royal West Sussex, said: “The trust will make every effort to minimise any redundancies although this may be, regrettably, necessary for some posts if no suitable alternative options are available for those staff who may be displaced as a consequence of the change programme.
“However, there will be staff development opportunities within new structures and models of care for the majority of our staff. Although challenging, the changes are key to securing the future success and sustainability of the trust.”
Thousands of NHS job losses have been announced nationwide in recent months and many trusts face huge deficits as the government gets tough on financial management.
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