Debt crisis puts 800 health jobs at risk

Apr 12 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

UP to 800 job losses are expected to be announced at a Birmingham hospital trust this week.

Bosses at Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust, which run City, Sandwell and Rowley Regis hospitals, have revealed they will announce job cuts and further cost-cutting measures to staff at a special meeting tomorrow.

A spokeswoman refused to comment today on the number of jobs to be axed. But a source said around 800 posts would go.

The redundancies are expected to include everyone from administrators and managers to some medical ward workers.

Ray Salmon, union representative for Unison, said: "It is disappointing to see that more job losses are expected to come after we worked so hard to make a financial recovery plan last year.

"The trust managed to make 200 job losses without any compulsory redundancies, and to think more are on the way is terrible."

Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust was one of just three in the region to end the year in the red.

The trust ran up debts of £6 million for the past financial year, just behind Good Hope's £7.1 million deficit for 2005 and Royal Wolverhampton Hospital Trust's £9.5 million.

Emergency meetings have taken place between Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust, which runs the hospitals, and union representatives from Unison.

A spokeswoman for the hospitals said chief executive John Adler would talk to staff in person tomorrow.

"Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust has a duty to break even and is considering a range of options," said the spokeswoman.

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