350 jobs to be lost at Stepping Hill Hospital

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is to invite staff to take voluntary redundancy as well as closing ward B3, it has announced today. Car parking charges for staff may increase and eight trauma and orthapaedic beds are also closing, however this is a temporary measure and it is anticipated these will re-open later in the year.

A statement on the trust’s website explains: “In common with many other NHS trusts, we are facing severe financial challenges.

“These difficult decisions have not been taken lightly, but it is essential that we proactively manage our financial situation and ensure long term sustainability. We want to continue improving and transforming our high quality patient services, but we can only do this by taking action now.

“We are not sacking staff. From August we will be inviting staff to take voluntary redundancies in order to help us meet our financial challenges. The number is 350 whole time equivalents and will include current vacant posts and people retiring.

“In the case of each voluntary redundancy, a rigorous assessment will be made to ensure that the loss of the post in question would not have a negative impact on patient safety, and would still allow us to provide good quality services.

“With bed and ward closures we are ensuring that patients will receive the highest quality of care in appropriate wards elsewhere in the hospital. Several bed closures taking place would often be vacant during the summer months.

“We fully appreciate that car parking charges will never be popular, but it is important we are able to make savings in areas which do not affect patient services. We are offering staff a number of options to help their journey to work, and car parking charges are based on ability to pay, with staff in higher pay bands paying higher charges. We also regularly remind staff about the need to park courteously and legally if they are leaving their cars in nearby public roads, and the importance of being a good neighbour.”