Royal Surrey County Hospital staff facing redundancy

Staff numbers are to be reduced at a hospital in Guildford in a bid to cut costs, an NHS trust has said.

Consultation is taking place on proposals to cut 100 posts from April at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Chief executive Nick Moberly said about 70 job cuts would be achieved by not filling vacancies, natural turnover, and releasing agency and bank staff.

But he said: "A small number of redundancies - we estimate about 30 - are anticipated."

In a statement, the trust said the NHS continued to face tough times financially.

It said: "Our staff are our biggest asset, but also our biggest cost, and we must explore how best to reduce our costs while continuing to provide quality safe healthcare."

The NHS trust, which employs 3,100 people, said the proposals had been subject to a detailed risk assessment looking at the impact on clinical outcomes, patient care and safety.

Formal consultation was being held with trade unions and employee representatives, and directly-affected staff, it said.