Threat to 156 jobs as £8m cuts planned at hospital

Barnsley Hospital has suffered a series of setbacks, including the departure of managers in March over revelations the surgical department had run up 2.2m in debt.

The chief executive Sandra Taylor quit later that month for "health reasons" and an interim chief executive, Paul O'Connor has now been charged with making improvements.

The trust board which oversees the running of the hospital said it was required to make the savings this year as a result of a Government call to all public bodies to cut costs.

At a meeting, the trust's director of human resources Hilary Brearley told union representatives that a "staffing reduction" of 156 posts was required to deliver the savings.

Managers said they would attempt to meet the requirement through a reduction in agency staff, voluntary redundancy and redeployment and retraining but did not rule out compulsory job losses.

Mr O'Connor said: "These are very difficult times for the public sector as a whole and for the hospital. This is about delivering excellent services in the future, as we have been doing in the past, but even more efficiently for the people of Barnsley."