100 more hospital posts at risk

Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust runs Broomfield Hospital

More than 100 jobs could be cut at two hospitals in Essex to help meet a £14m budget deficit, a health trust revealed on Wednesday.

Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, which runs Broomfield Hospital and St John's Hospital in Chelmsford, has already cut 150 posts to make savings.

On Wednesday the trust said it had now saved £7m but still needed to make a further £7m in cuts this year.

This is about £2.5m more than was predicted at the beginning of the year.

The trust said the increase is partly in response to a recent rise in the energy bill paid by the hospitals.

'Greater uncertainty'

Andrew Pike, the chief executive of the Mid Essex trust, told the BBC News website that the hospitals were looking at making savings "across the board. We are looking at everything".

Mr Pike said the trust was looking at whether savings could be made by moving over services from St John's Hospital to Broomfield Hospital before a planned private finance initiative scheme is given the go-ahead.

He said that some jobs were also likely to be lost to make the saving, though front-line services would be protected.

"We've lost 150 posts, now potentially 100 jobs could go," he said.

Mr Pike said he thought, that with government reforms and more use of the private sector, the NHS was heading into an era of "greater uncertainty and opportunity".