Jobs at risk at Whittington Hospital

Jobs are at risk because the Whittington Hospital has been forced to save millions of pounds in an effort to become a foundation hospital.

The money-saving programme at the hospital in Highgate began in March with the goal of saving £13.1m over the year.

The Whittington, in Magdala Avenue, has to save £4.8m by March this year to hit its target to qualify for foundation trust status.

Last week it revealed that 22 jobs in administration are at risk as a result.

The hospital stressed that redundancies are unlikely as staff will be redistributed throughout the organisation.

The cost-cutting measures include replacing lights with energy saving bulbs, using motion sensors to save electricity and using only sustainable paper.

The hospital is looking into hiring temporary staff from its own pool of employees rather than external agencies, and has investigated the used of private contractors to carry out some of its services.

The move for hospitals to become NHS foundation trusts is part of the coalition’s plans to save money and put care in the hands of the community, rather than the central government, under the Health and Social Care Bill 2011.