Rotherham reduces job cut plans

Rotherham Foundation Trust said in October that 750 posts – 20 per cent of its workforce – would have to go by 2015 and that compulsory redundancies were inevitable as it tried to save over 20 per cent of its £220m budget.

But the trust – whose chief executive retired the month after the cuts were announced – now says it has managed to substantially reduce the number of jobs being lost, after consultation with staff.  In December it postponed formal consultation with its staff while it looked at previous applications for voluntary redundancy.  

Chair Peter Lee said: “The trust remains committed to safeguarding front line services, providing the patient care, safety and experience that the people of Rotherham need and deserve. We have been exploring how to best manage our costs to minimise the impact of required efficiency savings on our patients. After working closely with unions, staff representatives and our staff we have today provided an updated Collective Consultation which highlights significant changes to the number of staff placed at risk of redundancy. “

However, the trust will not release its consultation document and has not said how many posts will be lost in total.