1,700 health jobs could be lost

Up to 1,700 health jobs - mainly clerical and managerial - are set to go

Up to 1,700 jobs could be cut from the health service in Northern Ireland - more than double the original estimate drawn up by the Department of Health.

It had been anticipated that up to 800 clerical, managerial and executive jobs would go as part of a shake-up after the Review of Public Administration.

It was set up to look at how NI public services are organised and how best to fund them.

The losses will be phased in over a four-year period.

They aim to save £50m per year to be invested directly back into frontline services.

The Department of Health has said 500 staff have gone already in the past year through natural wastage and unfilled vacancies.

Andrew McCormick, permanent secretary at the department, said: "We have provided trade unions with the details underlying the projected figure of job losses.

"We have no plans for compulsory redundancies and we are committed with working closely with trade unions on procedures and processes to protect staff and to avoid compulsory redundancies if at all possible.

"The intention is to provide better health and social care for the population - reducing bureaucracy is a necessary part of that process."

A spokeswoman for the largest health union, Unison, said it is not surprised at the job losses, but that staff are upset by how they have been treated.

"It's very bad judgement on the part of the Department of Health making an announcement like this a mere 24 hours before thousands of health workers transfer to new structures in the health service - midnight on Saturday.

"It's caused a great deal of disquiet," she said.