The move follows a DHSC request for hospital trusts to reduce the cost of support functions to 2022 levels.
Professor Lesley Dwyer, NNUH chief executive, said: ‘I have been honest with our staff that we are facing the same challenges as the rest of the NHS and I appreciate this is a worrying and uncertain time for many colleagues. There is an expectation that we reduce staffing costs and increase efficiencies this financial year to bring our trust to an appropriate size – we are aiming to deliver a balanced budget whilst ensuring we keep quality of care front of mind.
‘For the size of our hospitals, which employs in excess of 10,000 people, the reduction in headcount is about 500 posts for us. As a leadership team we have and will continue to keep staff involved in this process. This reduction in headcount may be achieved through a variety of ways and at different levels of the organisation – we are at the early stages of this process and we are currently working through this. We have already made significant strides in reducing temporary staffing costs and we will be reviewing all vacancies prior to making any redundancies."
The move follows the announcement of the merger of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn and the James Paget University Hospital.
Last month, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also revealed plans to cut up to 500 support roles.
Unison Eastern head of health Caroline Hennessy said: ‘It's too early to know exactly where the axe is going to fall at the Norfolk and Norwich, but it's hard to imagine a world where 500 jobs going doesn't hit patient care.
‘Whether it's front-line staff or the workers supporting them, cutting numbers will affect the ability of nurses, doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs.
‘Everyone in hospitals plays their part in the smooth running of the health service but these cuts will make life harder for already overstretched clinical workers. The NHS needs real investment in staff, not a cull of jobs.'
