OVER 1,000 people joined a demonstration and rally on Saturday to protest over plans to cut up to 500 jobs at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has said the posts may have to go as it needs to save £38m over the next two years.
It has already had to borrow £8m from the government to pay staff wages and is considering sacking 1,600 staff in order to re-hire them on cut wages and worse conditions.
The rally, organised by Bolton Save Our A&E Campaign, took place in Cheadle Square, Bolton.
All staff at the trust have been told about the job-cut plans and a 90-day consultation is under way.
Karen Reissmann, a Unison representative from the Save Bolton A&E campaign, said ‘They have threatened 500 job redundancies which include nurses, midwives, doctors, therapists, medical secretaries and medical estate staff.
‘I just think if 500 people go from the hospital, there is absolutely no way that we can provide the sort of patient care that we want to.
‘They are talking about 500 fewer posts – 12.5% of our workforce will be gone one way or another within a few months. I just think that will devastate patient care and put people at risk.
‘That’s why people are here today, we know our hospital is under threat with people talking about closing the A&E and even the hospital altogether. If 500 staff go, that makes that more likely.’
A breakdown of jobs threatened by cuts at the Royal Bolton Hospital has revealed that 20 doctors’ positions, 50 midwives and 93 nurses, plus 193 ward clerks and medical secretaries and 45 estates and facilities staff are set to be axed.
The Trust is more than £8 million in the red and must make £38 million savings in the next two years.
A further 1,685 employees’ positions are also under threat.
They include 1,450 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, who could be forced to reapply for their positions on ‘revised terms and conditions’.
Meanwhile, hundreds of NHS workers also protested in Bristol about proposals to regionalise their pay system.
Members of the trade union Unite marched from College Green to a rally at Castle Park.
A consortium of hospitals and health trusts want to localise pay, cutting wages and worsening conditions to meet what they call unprecedented challenges in healthcare and job security.
Union members say it is an excuse to make wage cuts and fragment patient care.
The South West Pay Terms and Conditions Consortium, set up in June, says a regional instead of national approach could protect jobs and care standards.
They want to put an end to nationally negotiated pay and conditions agreements.
Chairman Chris Bown, said: ‘Trusts continue to seek to engage with staff representatives, including unions, on issues arising from the work of the South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium.’
Unite’s Rachael Maskell condemned the consortium and its plan to force through local pay deals, saying: ‘This is the race to the bottom for staff and services and will eventually lead to the fragmentation of services for patients.’
Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust withdrew from the scheme in November.
There are 19 trusts remaining in the regional consortium.
