Thousands of NHS staff across England are set to lose their jobs as health trusts attempt to balance their finances, according to new research.
Unison estimates that at least 21,000 roles may be cut across hospitals, community services and mental health services by 2028.
The union said the reductions are being driven by the Government’s demand for trusts to break even from this year.
The figures were obtained through freedom of information requests sent to trusts.
Unison warned the planned reductions are in addition to job losses at NHS England and integrated care boards announced last year.
The research indicates that roles including nurses, other clinical staff and support workers are at risk.
Trusts are said to be using vacancy freezes, restructuring and a reduced reliance on agency staff to make savings.
Helga Pile, head of health at Unison, said: “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. They’ll be rightly alarmed when the situation’s getting worse.
“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.”
Last month, Unison said what it described as perilous NHS finances would worry both patients and staff.
Commenting on analysis from The King’s Fund showing NHS trusts ran a £780m deficit last year, Ms Pile added: “News that NHS finances remain in a perilous state will be a serious concern for health workers and the patients they care for.
“Years of underfunding have left many trusts out of pocket and ministers’ financial reset is creating deep uncertainty about services and staff. Morale is through the floor as workers worry whether their jobs are at risk, amid soaring levels of stress and violence.”
She continued: “Many NHS trusts are trying to balance the books by cutting jobs or hiving off services to contractors. But such kneejerk decisions often create bigger problems for the future.
“Shedding staff and offloading services rarely saves money in the long run, puts further strain on remaining workers, and could lead to worse outcomes for patients.
“What’s needed is a better NHS funding settlement, alongside long overdue investment in social care.
“That way, staff can do their jobs properly and patients can have confidence the care they rely on will be there when they need it.”
There has been no breakdown of how many of the proposed job losses could affect services in Wiltshire.
