Hundreds of NHS jobs at risk as Sussex and Surrey boards plan merger
The two regional NHS bodies are set to merge by April, with a significant number of their combined 1,350 staff warned they may not have jobs in the next year
Last updated 28th Jul 2025
Hundreds of jobs are under threat in Sussex and Surrey as two NHS boards prepare to merge in a government drive to cut costs, a council meeting has heard.
The plans would see NHS Sussex and NHS Surrey Heartlands integrated care boards (ICBs) become one organisation by April next year.
At a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on Tuesday, Stephen Lightfoot, chair of NHS Sussex, said: “A significant number of people in both organisations will not have a job in the new year.”
He confirmed the two ICBs had been ordered to halve their running costs by December.
Mr Lightfoot said: “Over the next three years, when our demand continues to increase, we're going to have to reduce our expenditure. We're going to have to work very hard to make better use of the money that we have.”
He told councillors the combined ICB would still have the same overall budget, but the merger was “the only safe and reliable way to deliver sustainable services”.
The merger follows a wider set of NHS reforms announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in March, including the abolition of NHS England and independent health watchdog Healthwatch.
Around 9,000 administrative roles are being cut from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the national changes.