Warrington - more than 100 hospital jobs cut

More than 100 jobs are to go at Warrington Hospital as part of a cost cutting initiative, reports the BBC. The plan also includes the loss of 90 beds between April and June this year.

North Cheshire Hospitals Trust claims the new scheme focuses on improving efficiency, meaning fewer beds and theatre sessions will be needed. Presumably they have no waiting lists at all then.

Jason Hunter, of Unison, said: "We will be challenging the decision as to how the management can justify the loss of so many posts."

Bosses have said that they will try to avoid redundancies by moving staff to fill vacant posts that have been held open.

The trust has already cut more than 100 beds by transferring acute medical wards from Halton to Warrington - but bosses maintain services have improved as a result.

Two theatres will also close at Warrington - but 15 staff affected will be redeployed to other area.

Catherine Beardshaw, Chief Executive of North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I have
been very open about the financial challenge the trust faces.

"We need to save £18.4m by March next year and we are making good progress towards this."

The trust estimates the cuts will save a further £3m towards the target.

Mr Hunter said: "Cutting so many jobs would place remaining staff under too much pressure.

"My understanding of the trust's reason for cuts was that they felt too many people were staying in hospital for too long but I'm not sure whether the loss of 90 beds and 104 jobs is a justifiable answer to that problem."

Of course, the £18.4 million the trust needs to prevent cuts like these is a mere 27 hours worth of the money that the government has agreed to hand the EU, as part of the new EU budget deal.

Tony Blair agreed to a 60% increase in payments to the EU despite still no idea of how the EU has spent the "majority" of the money that's been handed over in the last twelve years.

How can Warrrington MPs Helen Southworth (Warrington South) & Helen Jones (Warrington North) justify their intention to approve this terrible EU deal - a waste of vast amounts of public money that's clearly costing their local hospital dear?

Ms Southworth in particular, in holding onto her seat by a wafer thin 3,515 votes, should seriously consider the implications for her job come the next election of being seen by voters sending still billions more pounds a year to the EU, when a tiny fraction of that money could help stop cuts at essential health services in Warrington.