ECHO: How many jobs will be lost? DEREK SMITH: We think the overall figure will be 200. In the first consultation we expect it to be something like 30 to 40, and then we will go up to 200 in the course of the next year. We will take it in stages because we have to assess at each stage whether we are doing things that are right, and after that we will have to be sure that the changes aren’t having an adverse affect on the services provided.

How much of a saving will the job losses provide? Overall we would be saving between £8million and £12million a year, because when we save the posts they will annualise and reduce the overall costing.

Will there be a pay freeze for staff? We have been talking to trade unions about this and we would like staff to agree to a pay freeze. It would certainly help us to manage the finances and it’s now common in other industries. We will also have to talk to people about their gradings and see if we can reduce gradings where appropriate.

Which departments will the jobs be going from? We will be looking across the whole trust. The initial focus will be on management, senior staff and the back office. Eventually we will be looking at all areas of the trust, so nowhere is ruled out.

When will the staff be told? We have been talking to more senior staff already but we will be briefing the staff about the 200 job losses today.

There will be a series of meetings.

Because our staff work 24 hours, we are actually occupying space in the hospital over a 12-hour period to catch as many staff as possible. The directors will be providing the briefing personally to these particular sessions to make sure the staff are all directly informed about what’s going on and are in a position to ask questions.

Have you consulted with the unions? We started with the local union representatives and we have asked to see the full-time representatives of the trade unions. We will certainly be talking to them in the very near future.

How immediate will the job losses be? Before Christmas we need to consult and then we will have to affect the changes.

The changes will take place in the early part of next year.

Are you looking to shut down any particular departments or services? It is literally across the board and that’s why we are looking at management and back office. The back office supports front of house so you can’t just decimate the back office. We are seeking to lower costs there.

What are the terms of the job losses in terms of redundancy? There are standard NHS terms and conditions that support these roles so we will be discussing and agreeing with the trade unions.

Are you looking at capping any management or top end salaries? I think we will reduce the overall number of managerial staff we have in the trust. There have been increases, not vast but still an increase, and we need to get our management structure right for the future.

Will the director-level staff be affected as well? The director level has been looked at. We now have one director less than before, which took place in September. We also have a non- executive director less than before, so the board has been trimmed down.

Are there any more changes on the horizon for the hospital board? We aren’t planning any locally. This will depend upon how well we deliver the plan, it is now very much in the hands of Monitor – which regulates the foundation trusts. It will decide whether we are going about managing the change that has been affected here properly and sensibly. They have extensive powers to do whatever they can to change the board or management as they so choose.

So, has a plan been drawn up about where the cuts need to be made and is this being checked by them as we speak? That’s exactly what we have to do. We need to persuade Monitor that the plans we have will work and then they will assess us on a month-by-month basis to check if we are implementing them in that way or not. They have to check that the plans have been done and that we are protecting patient interests.

Is there an end in sight for the staff? We expect that by March 31, 2011 we will have what’s called the ‘run rate’ in balance, so month-on-month our run rate will be in balance. Which means we will then have the finances under control and we can begin to concentrate on having control and making sure the trust prospers in the future. That’s the aim.