Thousands of NHS staff across England face job cuts as health trusts attempt to balance their budgets, according to research by the union Unison. The study estimates that at least 21,000 roles are due to be eliminated by 2028 in hospitals, community services, and mental health facilities.
The cuts, revealed through freedom of information requests, are driven by the Government’s requirement for trust budgets to break even from this year. They come on top of job losses already announced at NHS England and integrated care boards. Unison warns that the reductions include nurses, other clinical staff, and support posts, achieved through vacancy freezes, restructuring, and reduced use of agency workers.
Unison's head of health, Helga Pile, criticised the plans, stating: “Cutting thousands of NHS jobs is the wrong answer when staff are already stretched to breaking point. The public are all too aware how understaffing is a major problem, so they’ll be rightly alarmed when the situation's getting worse.”
Pile added that years of underfunding have left trusts out of pocket, and the financial reset is creating deep uncertainty. “Morale is through the floor as workers worry whether their jobs are at risk, amid soaring levels of stress and violence,” she said. “The NHS is being asked to transform how care is delivered, with more community services and technology, but none of this is possible without the staff to make it happen.”
