CORNWALL’S hospitals trust has backed down on hundreds of staff redundancies, the UK’s largest trade union said yesterday (Thursday, March 19).

UNISON has announced that plans for compulsory redundancies at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust have been dropped, but concerns remain about the impact of ongoing staffing cuts.

“From hundreds of redundancies to zero,” the union posted. “After a 91% vote for industrial action, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has been forced to back down on plans that could have seen hundreds of job losses earlier today. When workers stand together, we win together.”

UNISON says that managers at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust have withdrawn a consultation on clinical administrative job cuts and confirmed there will be no layoffs. It follows a consultative ballot by UNISON in which 91 per cent of staff said they would be prepared to strike.

The trust launched the consultation late last year because it needs to plug a budget gap by making £49.3 million in savings, but UNISON has warned this could lead to hundreds of job losses and put patient care at risk.

In response to the ballot, the trust has also agreed to recruit staff into some roles that are currently vacant. Any new job descriptions will be developed with union input and evaluated in-house, according to UNISON.

However, services could still be left dangerously understaffed if unfilled posts are removed or not replaced, says the union.

UNISON South West regional organiser Charlie Woods said: “Staff are relieved that compulsory redundancies have been taken off the table, but this dispute isn’t over yet. Cutting posts by leaving vacancies unfilled would still pile pressure onto already stretched NHS teams.”

Medical secretary Jamie Smitheram, who works at the trust, said on a Unison news page: “For months, we’ve been left to worry about what these plans meant for our jobs and our futures.

“Hearing there will be no redundancies is a huge relief for many of us and our families. It’s shown the importance of staff standing together.”

The move has come after a series of protests at hospitals in Cornwall, including the main hub at the Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske) in Truro.

Around 60 NHS staff angered by the proposals confronted the trust’s chief executive Steve Williamson ahead of a board meeting in November.

Mr Williamson was handed a collective staff grievance signed by 260 colleagues, a petition against the cuts signed by over 5,700 people and a pledge, which he was asked to sign. It stated: “I, Steve Williamson, on behalf of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, pledge to stop all job cuts, outsourcing and restructuring.”

Mr Williamson announced he was leaving the trust soon after.

We contacted the trust for a comment on the U-turn. A spokesperson said: “RCHT is having ongoing discussions with Unison and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”

Despite protests, a consultation to cut posts within RCHT’s care group recently went ahead as planned, with a number of experienced staff losing their roles.