Health budgets Hundreds of roles set to be axed at hospital trust

A SECOND major Bristol hospital trust has announced hundreds of jobs will be axed to balance the books - bringing the total locally to more than 500.

- Adam POSTANS

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), which runs Southmead Hospital, will reduce its staff by 211 posts to help achieve £40 million of savings in 2025/26.

It follows our report last week that University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust (UHBW) needs to shed at least 300 employees, which it hopes to do by not replacing vacancies when workers leave.

Both trusts are looking to avoid compulsory redundancies.

A report to a joint board meeting of the newly named Bristol NHS Group, which comprises the two organisations, revealed UHBW was required to make £53 million of savings in the new financial year.

It said the proportion of cost reductions directed by NHS England was the same for both - five per cent of turnover.

UHBW chief financial officer Neil Kemsley told this week's meeting that this was at the lower end of the spectrum for trusts in the South West who had been told to slash budgets by between five and 11 per cent.

The report said that along with the 211 NBT job cuts, there would be a 30 per cent reduction in spending on agency staff.