Up to 800 jobs set to be cut at two NHS trusts

Some of the jobs are set to go from the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth

Up to 800 jobs could be lost across two NHS trusts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with others set to follow suit.

The move is part of a financial plan to saving millions of pounds over the year ahead.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has earmarked 549 jobs to go, while 249 could be lost at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.

A spokesperson for the two bodies said while the cuts would be "difficult" they were "necessary in helping ensure our organisations are able to continue meeting the changing needs of our patients".

The BBC understands there will be more job losses, including hundreds at neighbouring trusts.

CEOs of trusts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are believed to be discussing how they can share resources and corporate services.

The roles being lost are not thought to be clinical positions, such as doctors and nurses, and the staff at risk are expected to be within HR, finance and communications.

All trusts are operating in a difficult financial climate and are looking to make big savings.

The shake-up is driven by the Department of Health and Social Care, which has said it is part of a wider plan to protect frontline services and help improve patient care.

'Significant financial savings'

The major NHS unions Unison and Unite will meet to discuss the proposed job losses next week.

Further losses of up to 50% are also expected at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) and other ICBs in the region.

The news follows the decision to abolish NHS England, the body responsible for commissioning and improving health services across the UK.

"As providers, we have a responsibility to live within our means and deliver the required performance and quality standards for our patients," the spokesperson for Portsmouth and Isle of Wight NHS trusts said.

They said the trusts "delivered significant improvements across finance and performance" in 2024/25, but that they face "similar challenges in terms of financial savings, so need to go further in our approach to deliver the scale of improvement expected of us".

They added: "This includes further tightening our controls on temporary workforce and recruitment activity, as well as well as seeking further opportunities to transform how we deliver within each organisation and at scale across our group and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight system.

"Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, we have all agreed common processes around vacancies, recruitment, and use of temporary workforce to help us achieve the significant financial savings required of us.

"We understand these decisions may be difficult, but they are necessary in helping ensure our organisations are able to continue meeting the changing needs of our patients in a more resilient and flexible way."

The Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are reforming the NHS to cut bureaucracy and make savings so we can focus on empowering frontline staff to deliver better care for patients, while getting value for taxpayers' money.

"We are investing an extra £26 billion in health and care, and have already made progress on our mission to cut waiting lists – delivering an extra 3 million appointments in six months and cutting the waiting list by 219,000 since July."

A spokesperson for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight said: "Like the rest of the NHS, we are working collectively with our NHS providers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to make sure services are sustainable, affordable for the future and meet the changing needs of our local communities.

"This means we have been working with our NHS providers to put tighter processes in place around recruitment and to reduce reliance on expensive temporary staffing. This is being done while ensuring services remain safe and people continue to get the care, treatment and support they need."