A HEALTH trust serving Basildon and Thurrock is set to slash 100 jobs.

Workers at NHS South West Essex were dealt the devastating news yesterday that redundancies are in the pipeline for a quarter of its workforce.

The move has come as the primary care trust, which commissions health services for patients across south west Essex, tries to claw its way out of a £12million financial blackhole.

It hopes to save at least £3.2million by cutting jobs, which are likely to be mostly administration posts.

Letters have been sent to all staff members outlining the situation and asking for voluntary redundancies.

However, compulsory redundancies will be carried out if not enough people come forward, which means up to 100 employees could face unemployment before Christ-mas.

Andrew Pike, interim chief executive of the trust, said: “In the current economic environment, we can no longer afford the level of staffing we currently have, so difficult decisions are having to be made.

“We aim to be open and fair and keep our staff informed throughout this process.

“These changes will not impact on patient care.”

In January, the cash-strapped trust announced budget cuts of £52million, however, this is the first time job losses have been mentioned.

Nick Bradley, regional officer for health services union Unison, said it was too early to say which posts will be affected.

He added: “This is really serious news. What is surprising is how quickly this has jumped out on us.

“They are talking about 100 jobs. That’s about a quarter of its workforce.

“There’s no doubt this is a worrying time for staff and, unfortunately, this is not going to be a pleasant experience for them.

“This is early stages, but the primary care trust has to consult with us about this.

“We need to know why they are doing this and will be asking what alternatives can be found instead of job losses.”

A full consultation between Unison and trust chiefs will take place in the coming weeks.