MORE than 500 jobs are set to be axed at East Lancashire hospitals raising major concerns for patient care.

Department bosses at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals have been told to start drawing up plans to reduce their workforce as finance chiefs seek to save £85million in the next five years.

Russ McLean, chairman of Pennine Lancashire Patient Voice Group, said: “Five hundred is a heck of a lot and my initial reaction is I’m horrified. Patients and staff all know one of the reasons the hospitals are struggling is because of a staff shortage.

“I ought to have a meeting with chief executive Mark Brearley and ask how they are going to do this.

“If they are cutting front-line staff that’s a matter of grave concern. If it’s back office posts it might be more acceptable.”

The figure was revealed in board papers for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which stated: “Our workforce plans show that our workforce will need to contract by circa 500 WTEs [whole time equivalents] over the planning period; 2013-14 to 2017-18 to achieve our financial plans.

“It is hoped that this reduction can be achieved without resorting to compulsory job losses. However, this will depend on the pattern of leavers and, to some extent, the impact of the abolition of the default retirement age.”

A number of the posts are likely to be part-time, so the total number of jobs lost could be much higher than 500. The trust has an annual turnover of £390 million and employs about 7,000 people.

Since coming to power the coalition Government has claimed to have increased NHS spending in ‘real terms’. However, almost every hospital across the country is being forced to find savings as costs and demand for services increase.

Nationally, the Royal College of Nursing has claimed frontline NHS staff have been cut by nearly 21,000 in the last three years – including 6,000 qualified nurses.

Sean Gibson, regional manager for the Unison union in Lancashire, said: “The potential loss of 500 full-time equivalent posts would fly in the face of the government’s claims that they’ve increased spending on the NHS.

“I would have serious concerns around the level of service that can be delivered in the East Lancashire area.

“It’s indicative of the NHS in general that staff are put under more and more pressure as they are expected to take on more responsibility, and cover for posts that are left open to make cost savings.

“We are probably at breaking point right across the NHS. It’s only through the integrity of the staff that it hasn’t actually fallen apart already.”

In February, it was announced the trust was to be investigated over its high mortality rates, which were 13 per cent above expectations, ranking them the fifth worst trust in the country.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “I’ll be seeking further details about this. Any job losses concern me and there’s a series of items I want to discuss with them.

“It concerns me profoundly that despite government’s assurances the health service is facing very serious pressures. I would need a lot of convincing about the justification for job losses.”

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “If they have to do this I sincerely hope they take it from the back office rather than front line services. I already get a lot of complaints about the services they are delivering - I’ve had six just this morning.”

The Lancashire Telegraph asked East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust what proportion of the posts would be clinical, but this was not answered in a statement.

Michelle Brown, the trust’s deputy director of finance, said the whole health service was having to make efficiency savings, while still finding a way to deliver high quality services.

She said: “In setting the financial plan each year, the trust has to consider the increased costs of pay awards, inflation and other cost pressures as well as a reduction in funding.

“For 2013-14 the required savings are a minimum of 4 per cent (£15m) for the trust. Over the next five years, the required savings are estimated to be around £85m in total.

“The trust has a Cost Improvement Programme to bridge the gap between the planned income that the trust will receive and the expected cost of running the trust and providing services.”

David Smithson, head of human resources, said the trust expected to reduce the workforce through natural turnover, so no compulsory job losses were expected.

He said the number of front line workers had increased by two per cent since August last year and the trust was confident the reductions would not impact on the quality and safety of patient care.