Job cuts in hospital admin department proposed

A consultation is taking place with staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust

About 150 jobs could be cut at a South West hospital trust as its bosses try to address a £49.3m financial black hole.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said it would hold a consultation with staff on changes to its clinical administration services.

It said there was the potential to reduce the number of whole-time equivalent posts from just over 600 to about 450, and that its priority would be to find opportunities elsewhere for those affected.

Staff at the Truro-based trust have told the BBC said they were worried the cuts would "compromise patient care" and called the proposals drastic and unrealistic.

'Anxious time'

The trust said its share of a £110m cost improvement programme - which aimed to identify measures to cut expenditure - for 2025/26 meant the organisation had to deliver savings of £49.3m.

It said the proposals aimed to offer better structured and more rewarding roles, along with improved career pathways and ensuring patients benefitted from a consistent high level of administrative support.

A spokesperson for the trust said it would support colleagues and engage with trade union representatives throughout the consultation.

"The proposals are a significant change to the way we work and we recognise for many it is an anxious time," the spokesperson added.

A trust staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC they felt the proposals would be "detrimental in so many ways".

"Patient care will be compromised and there are going to be over 100 job losses within the admin team which they have announced will happen the week before Christmas," they said.

"We believe this seems uncaring, unsympathetic and, quite frankly, inhumane."

Stephen Timms from Unison said the plans were "deeply worrying" as services were already under pressure

Stephen Timms, Cornwall acute health branch secretary of the union Unison, described the plans as "deeply worrying" for staff and patients, and they could have "serious consequences" for patient safety and care.

He said: "Services are already under huge strain, this proposal feels rushed and short-sighted.

"Healthcare in Cornwall faces unique pressures: an ageing local population, intense winter demand and a surge in visitors over the summer.

"Cornwall's health system needs additional investment, not fewer staff."

He added: "The trust must work with unions to find a safer, fairer way forward that protects jobs and maintains the quality of care patients deserve."