St George’s Hospital staff are today reeling after learning 500 jobs are to be axed amid “hugely damaging” cuts.

Unison members claim hospital bosses are being forced to cut in excess of £55m from the Tooting hospital’s annual budget, slash 500 medical nursing and health care posts - close to 10 per cent of the workforce at St George’s - close wards, remove about 100 beds, and cap the number of births in its midwifery unit to 5,000 a year.

Hospital staff are reacting to the news “with growing shock and anger”, according to Union representatives. Posts affected by the cuts - blamed on the Government's £20bn NHS cuts programme - include frontline doctors, nurses and professional staff.

Nurse Jane Pilgrim, Unison’s nursing convenor at the hospital, said: “We were told by the Government that there would be no cuts in frontline posts but in reality the NHS is witnessing swingeing cuts to frontline services every day.”

Midwifery nurse, Nora Pearce, added: “Capping the number of births at St George's to just 3,000 a year will mean thousands of local women will no-longer be able to have their babies at St George's, denying them the back up and confidence they know comes from having a baby at an internationally renowned teaching hospital.”

Staff were notified of the cuts this morning by the hospital’s chief executive, David Astley. He is due to meet with staff at lunchtime today to talk about the situation and field questions.

Michael Walker, Unison regional officer, said: “Unison will be working with St George's Hospital management to mitigate the impact of these cuts on patients and staff.

“Mr Lansley needs to urgently recognise the damage he is causing to the NHS with these unprecedented levels of cuts.

“We fear these cuts are just the prelude to even greater cuts in our NHS when the Government unleash GP Commissioning and GP's are forced to ration care.

“We urge all local Member's of Parliament, of all political persuasion’s to intercede and urge Andrew Lansley the Conservative Secretary of State for Health to halt these disastrous cuts at St George's before patient care suffers.”

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan said: “This Government was elected on a promise there would be no cuts to frontline health services. They have broken that promise.

“One in 10 healthcare professionals at St George’s - from doctors to nurses to support staff - will lose their jobs. This will affect local residents.

“Far from protecting frontline services, these cuts will cause huge damage to health services in South London.

“I am upset and shocked, at the Tory-led government’s cuts that will undermine services at St George’s Hospital.

“I will be working with hospital management and hospital staff to ensure that the Government’s cuts do not affect the quality of frontline healthcare or force too many hard-working healthcare workers to lose their jobs.”

A statement from St George's is expected imminently.

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