The trust that runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital Stafford has confirmed it is launching a voluntary redundancy scheme and pausing most new recruitment, as it faces mounting financial pressure heading into winter.
For people in Gnosall and across the area, UHNM is the NHS trust we depend on most. News of potential job losses on this scale, including in clinical roles, is understandably concerning.
The trust's acting chief executive, Helen Ashley, said UHNM is taking steps to respond to what she described as "significant financial pressures." The voluntary redundancy scheme is time-limited, and she stressed that essential recruitment would continue where patient safety required it.
Applications will be carefully considered against service needs, and essential recruitment will continue where required to maintain safe and effective patient care.
Unison, the public sector union, has raised serious concerns. Regional officer Chanel Camilleri-Willis told BBC Radio Stoke that the figures shifted rapidly during early discussions with the trust. The deficit figure went from £60m to £73m within a week, and the number of posts being considered for reduction rose from 225 to 350.
It's really worrying for us as a public service union, thinking about our members but then also the community that this NHS trust serves.
Camilleri-Willis described the process as a "rushed course of action" and flagged particular concern that clinical posts are included in the scheme, calling it "really unusual" and a "massive concern." She also warned that those who remain may face greater pressure as a result, noting that many staff are already burnt out.
The union has suggested the trust look harder at reducing spending on agency staff, which Camilleri-Willis said costs a "phenomenal amount" of money, before cutting permanent posts.
Wider concerns about services
NHS improvement campaigner Ian Syme, who has long monitored performance at the trust, shares the unease.
I'm deeply concerned about the voluntary redundancies and the pause on vacancies, although I know there are very severe performance issues at UHNM which have been cited by NHS England.
Syme warned that without significant changes, patients could face longer waits for treatment and further delays to ambulance handovers, an issue that has already been a source of concern at Royal Stoke in recent months.
What happens next
The trust says patient safety and continuity of care remain its top priority. The voluntary redundancy window is time-limited, and the situation is likely to develop further in the coming weeks.
Nothing is known about where the redundancies will affect staff, but LoveGnosall will keep an eye on how this unfolds and what it means for local residents who rely on these services.
Source: bbc.co.uk
