Health cuts 400 could lose jobs in bid to slash costs

HEALTH bosses have submitted plans to slash 400 non-clinical jobs to the Government.

- John WIMPERIS

Integrated care boards have been given two months by NHS England to draw up a plan to cut their running costs by 50%. The boards, known as ICBs, replaced clinical commissioning groups in 2022 and are responsible for understanding the population needs in their area and planning and commissioning the NHS services required.

The Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire ICB (BNSSG) commissions £3.2 billion of NHS spending. It has not been told to cut this funding, but to cut the £33m running costs of the ICB as an organisation.

Chief executive of the BNSSG ICB Shane Devlin said: “Why would we shave money off the £33m if it’s going to have a detrimental impact on £3.2bn of services? So we have to try and find that balance.”