Almost 250 whole time equivalent (WTE) jobs at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust look set to be cut amid ‘cost improvement plans’.
The WTE workforce across Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust is set to be cut by almost 800 at a saving of around £37million to both trusts.
A total of 249 jobs are expected to be cut on the Island with a further 549 in Portsmouth.
Across Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) and Isle of Wight NHS Trust (IWT), there is a combined total workforce of 10,915 WTE staff across substantive, bank and agency staff groups. A total of 2,470 of these are on the Isle of Wight with 8,845 on the mainland.
It is expected that throughout this year – and into 2026 – similar challenges are to be faced in regards financial savings so that the trusts can ‘deliver the scale of improvement expected of them’.
To achieve this, a tighter grip is expected to fall on the temporary workforce and any recruitment activity.
A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said:
“As providers, we have a responsibility to live within our means and deliver the required performance and quality standards for our patients. Across both IWT and PHU, we have already delivered significant improvements across finance and performance in 24/25 through robust management of our temporary workforce and some transformational change including the creation of a single corporate service supporting activity across the Group.
Article continues below this advertisement “Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, we have all agreed common processes around vacancies, recruitment, and use of temporary workforce to help us achieve the significant financial savings required of us.
“We understand these decisions may be difficult, but they are necessary in helping ensure our organisations are able to continue meeting the changing needs of our patients in a more resilient and flexible way.”
It was last year that corporate services across Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust came together to support delivery across both Trusts.
As part of this consultation, a MARS scheme (Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme) was made available and a number of vacancies were removed from existing structures and not recruited into, which provided a cost saving.
The 849 page board report is available to read on the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust website.
The NHS employs a load of unnecessary clutter,
since the pandemic so many employees have been
shirking from home and are UNACCOUNTABLE.
Get rid of the unnecessary baggage, will save
millions of pounds in salaries and save even more
on their lucrative pensions.
Working for the NHS use to be a calling, not any
more, the majority of the staff love the salaries,
pensions and perks that come with the job
i.e various company discounts, not to mention
the UNLIMITED sick pay.
I reckon they could survive by getting rid of more
than 249 island employees.
They have had it good for too long.
Several things wrong with your missive.
Yes, save on salaries, but their pensions, like every other pension is mainly from their own contributions which are invested and capital gained. The employer does contribute SOME money, but this is more to do with the fact that staff were contracted out (SERPS), meaning that the vast number of them would not have enough NI stamps to get the full state pension.
Neither do they get unlimited sick pay; what they get is an element of occupational sick pay (more that SSP but lower than their wage) and it’s determined by contracts, length of service and also how many periods in a rolling 12 month period. Too many, and they are sacked, as per contract.
As for this piece ^^, it’s about the dismantling of NHS ENGLAND who thought it a good idea to rinse the NHS pot employing too many money/people middle managers and by constantly calling on agency staff for the frontline. Yes, there is a hold on recruitment while things like this are judged. NHS England were rather opaque on what was necessary and what was not. THOSE are largely the staff that will be going, not frontline.
They do get unlimited sick pay, they all
need a dose of working in the private sector
It’s a picnic working for the public sector.
All very well having calling but NHS staff still have to make a living – they don’t live off berries squatting in caves. I hope you remember your words next time you have to wait for a hospital appointment or are stuck outside A&E in an ambulance because the hospital is flat out and has no capacity for emergencies even.
They are only doing the job for the perks.
I bet only 14% of them do it because it’s a
calling.
Keep dreaming if you think the NHS is like
the good old NHS we once had.
Surprise surprise , knew it wouldn’t be long
And you can bet it will be FRONTLINE staff going and not the clutter of management. To many managers up there without the proper qualifications to do the job, can you believe some are also on benefits too, band 5 on benefits how does that work, needs a proper investigation please.
This cut back is absolutely outrageous, the government should be ashamed of themselves. We live on an Island where the only hospital has severe problems now being able to cope with demand. It needs more people, not less!
They’re not cutting frontline staff, this is because of the cull of NHS England who were effectively (or not as the case has shown) overseeers and managers.
Although not frontline, there are still 249 people (WTE) roles being cut. These roles assist in keeping the whole organisation running smoothly. Losing them will therefore, be detrimental to the running of the hospital and its patients on the Island. How much ever we may not like it, not all managers are unnecessary alas!
Yes if the manager does some work they are useful, but I know some up there that do nothing, except sit in the office, close the door and drink coffee complaining about there lot in life. Get rid of those for gods sake.
They employ far too many people.
I wonder what the percentage of the workforce
is currently off sick and what percentage are
shirking from home.
Since the pandemic it’s become a joke.
I honestly hope that they rid the NHS of the bullying element of the trust.
Only in the NHS can you be promoted because you are a loud, bold and bullying and upper management are scared of you. There are a few toxic characters I can think of who have been side moved and / or promoted, without the necessary qualifications into a new role when they should have been fired. He who should loudest definitely works amongst the staff in the NHS.
You are 110% correct
The bullying ones are the shirkers, lets pray
they are in the 249 lot to go.
They could always get a job at GKN, they have
similar problems with loud, bold and bullying
individuals
Must be an island trait!, they need to grow up and
start acting their age and not think they are any
different to anyone else.
Another problem is that many members of staff are
related to each other, so they cover for each other
and stick together in groups.
The island is one big gold fish bowl, many people
ard related to each other or have been to school etc
with each other (they still think they are at school together)
hence their mannerisms.
The island needs more overseas nurses and doctors
better to be neutral in such professions.