By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Last updated at 09:55, Thursday, 04 September 2008

More than 130 of north Cumbria’s hospital workers have so far come forward to apply for voluntary severance.

Back in July, all 4,000 workers at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven were offered a cash incentive to quit their jobs.

Bosses at the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust blamed increasing budget pressures on the need to cut staffing costs.

They sent letters out to all employees offering a voluntary severance – a one-off financial package to those willing to leave.

All staff who had worked at the trust for more than 12 months were eligible to apply, and yesterday the board heard that over 130 applications have now been received.

After starting the year with the need to make £14.2m in savings, bosses have to date managed to find half. But they still have to find ways of slashing a further £7m from their predicted annual spending – including saving money on staffing.

However, they have stressed that the existing scheme is voluntary and that compulsory redundancies would only be considered as a last resort.

They will now evaluate all of the applications before agreeing any payouts, to ensure any loss of staff is balanced.

The strict cost-improvement plan is blamed on a combination of national efficiency targets, which has seen annual income drop by three per cent; changes to the way hospital services are funded by the Government; and major changes to the way healthcare is delivered in Cumbria.

First published at 11:48, Wednesday, 03 September 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk