Editor’s blog Thursday 27 May 2010: England's only non-AfC trust to shed jobs: Southend of the pier show for 400 staff

Morning, all.

Southend University Hospitals NHS FT has previously been somewhat famous in NHS managementland as the only foundation trust to date to derogate from Agenda for Change (AfC)  terms and conditions, locally negotiating its deal with staff.

The staff voted for this in June 2006, and appear to be generally content. In 2008, all staff got a flat rate £295 "gainshare" bonus each, in recognition for the Trust overall hitting a range of targets.

Today, BBC News has the story that the Trust is to lose 400 jobs of its 4,000 workforce: in a fairly literal meaning, a decimation.

Chief executive John Gilham is reported as saying, "the Trust's principal approach is to manage this through natural staff turnover."

The BBC News report says that the Trust's plan is to shed both clinical and managerial posts. It reports the Trust to be attributing the cause to the economic downturn (which is mildly bizarre), but more accurately to their commissioners "planning to provide more services in the community".

Competitive labour market
The HSJ article linked to above points out that Southend is in a competitive labour market for staff, with easy communing to london available, and Basildon nearby.

It will be interesting to see whether the local approach the Trust has sustained for nearly four years now retains its appeal to staff who see colleagues departing.