Hospitals in England plan to reduce 100,000 jobs

NHS hospitals in England are facing severe budget cuts that could lead to the loss of over 100,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting initiative mandated by the new NHS England chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey. Hospitals have been instructed to reduce corporate costs by 50% by the end of the year, prompting NHS leaders to urge the Treasury to create a national redundancy fund to support the financial burden of layoffs, estimated to exceed £2 billion. Trusts anticipate needing to cut between 3% and 11% of their workforce, potentially impacting the quality of patient care and increasing treatment delays. Meanwhile, some trusts are already implementing immediate measures such as freezing agency staff hiring and reducing planned surgical activities. Concerns have been raised by health leaders about the feasibility of achieving the required savings without jeopardizing frontline services. The situation has led to calls for government clarification on funding and support for affected trusts.