UNION bosses have reacted with anger at plans to slash a number of beds and jobs at Warrington Hospital.

Last week, North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust announced its intention to scrap 90 beds and dissolve 104 posts in a bid to save £18 million.

It claims that the reduction in beds will not affect the standard of care patients receive and that the job cuts will not result in redundancies due to an earlier jobs freeze.

However, union chiefs have branded the cuts bananas' and say that the changes are being rushed through at break neck pace'.

Lynn Collins, UNISON regional officer, said: "We have been shocked to learn of plans that could see a reduction of up to 150 jobs at Warrington Hospital. Even more astounding is management claims that this will not affect services.

"Management have announced plans to reorganise seven wards to reduce the number of beds by 90 by the first week in June 2007.

"That could see reductions in 104 whole time equivalent posts, this including 44 nurses and 37 health care support staff. But due to some part time working, the number affected would be greater.

"It's bananas. These changes are not motivated by the needs of patients in Warrington. They are due to pressures to cut another £18.4 million from our budget by March 2008.

"Due to the misplacement of funding in the NHS, many health trusts are feeling the pinch and Warrington is yet again at the front end of this."

Already 105 beds have been cut between Warrington and Halton.

Now another 90 are set to go by June along with the closure of two operating theatres in April and June as more operations are transferred to Halton.

Eventually all planned operations will take place at the Halton site, with only emergency surgery being carried out at Warrington.

Ms Collins added: "Management have claimed that their policy of freezing vacancies may result in the changes being managed through redeployment.

"However, this is a worrying time for staff with the fear of job losses firmly held up in front of them. What is certain is that staff will be working under much more stress as management seek to squeeze vital services into ever fewer beds."