Trust plans to slash one in three consultant posts

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is planning to slash the number of consultant posts by a third and that of staff, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctor posts by 40% in a bid to cope with 5% year on year spending cuts over the next three years.

The mental health trust aims to reduce the number of whole-time equivalent consultant posts from 99.76 to 66.7 and the number of SAS doctor posts from 39.42 to 15.92 by 2016.

A total of 500 clinical and non-clinical posts and 20% of inpatient beds at the trusts are expected to be cut as part of a service redesign that aims to deliver more care in the community and avoid “expensive hospital care.” …