Protest over 549 jobs at risk at Portsmouth Hospital
Portsmouth Trade Union Council will be making their voices heard today
Last updated 17th Apr 2025
A protest is planned this lunchtime outside Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital as 549 jobs are put at risk.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust says the jobs at risk are not clinical roles and are likely to impact administrative roles.
Portsmouth Trade Union Council says the move is causing deep concern.
Jon Woods, Chair of Portsmouth Trade Union Council.
"The loss of 549 jobs in one of the city's largest employers is of deep concern to Portsmouth Trade Union Council. When admin, HR and other support jobs are cut, the work doesn't simply go away. There is a real risk that clinical staff will have to take on additional work. NHS staff are already under immense pressure. The last thing they need is job losses and additional work for those that remain."
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.
“In 25/26 we face similar challenges in terms of financial savings, so need to go further in our approach to deliver the scale of improvement expected of us. This includes further tightening our controls on temporary workforce and recruitment activity, as well as well as seeking further opportunities to transform how we deliver within each organisation and at scale across our Group and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight system.
“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.”