Cutting-Edge: Five Hospitals in UK Go On a Resizing Rampage

The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead will embark on a major cost-cutting exercise, marked by job-cuts, that purports to save £25 million, in the upcoming year.

Nearly 480 positions in the Hospital will be under the axe following orders to avoid loss of seven per cent in annual turnover. The Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust has expressed its motive of ensuring that lay-offs will be kept to a minimum.

New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton will obliterate nearly 300 jobs and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, will do away with about 200 jobs. Nearly 1,000 staff will be asked to go home in Staffordshire.

Nearly five hospitals have announced re-sizing operations this week. Andrew Way, chief executive of the Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust, said: 'These measures are not exceptional and are designed to bring the Royal Free into line with other organizations. We must achieve financial balance if we are to control our own future as the government has made it very clear that they will not bail out organizations which fail to do so.'

Andrew Lansley, Conservative health spokesman, criticised the government on hearing the news: "One year ago ministers were heralding NHS staff as the heroes who were delivering on waiting list targets. Today they are silent as the same NHS staff are threatened with redundancy. Faced with the failure of his billions to deliver corresponding improvements for patients, Gordon Brown and the Treasury have abandoned the NHS."

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