Plans for compulsory redundancies at Cornwall’s hospital trust have been dropped, but concerns remain about the impact of ongoing staffing cuts, says UNISON today (Thursday).
Managers at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust have withdrawn a consultation on clinical administrative job cuts and confirmed there will be no layoffs. This follows a consultative ballot by UNISON in which 91% of staff said they would be prepared to strike.
The trust launched the consultation late last year because it needs to plug a budget gap by making £49m in savings. But UNISON has warned this could lead to hundreds of job losses and put patient care at risk.
In response to the ballot, the trust has also agreed to recruit staff into some roles that are currently vacant. Any new job descriptions will be developed with union input and evaluated in-house.
However, services could still be left dangerously understaffed if unfilled posts are removed or not replaced, says the union.
UNISON South West regional organiser Charlie Woods said: “Staff are relieved that compulsory redundancies have been taken off the table.
“But this dispute isn’t over yet. Cutting posts by leaving vacancies unfilled would still pile pressure onto already stretched NHS teams.”
Medical secretary Jamie Smitheram, who works at the trust, said: “For months, we’ve been left to worry about what these plans meant for our jobs and our futures.
“Hearing there will be no redundancies is a huge relief for many of us and our families. It’s shown the importance of staff standing together.”
