The government has asked Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) cut hundreds of non-clinical jobs as part of a government demand to reduce costs and bureaucracy. It is understood that around 500 jobs will be affected.

CUH – which is responsible for Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Rosie Maternity Hospital – has been told to cut expenditure on “support roles” to April 2022 levels by the Department of Health and Social Care, headed by Cambridge alumnus Wes Streeting.

The chief executive of the trust, Roland Sinker, said that the cuts were “approximately a 15% reduction in the budget available to fund roles that are not delivering direct clinical care.” But, added that there are plans to reduce the impact of the cuts.

“We will be taking all possible steps to minimise redundancies, through natural turnover by not recruiting to posts when staff leave, holding vacancies empty and a mutually agreed resignation scheme,” said Sinker in a statement to staff.

He added: “These steps will help reduce the number of redundancies required from 500 staff in support services to closer to 200.”

The trust currently employs around 13,000 staff, and the job cuts will affect those working in finance, communication and administration departments, among other areas.

This comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, aiming to streamline the service and direct more money to patient-facing roles.

The British Medical Association and Royal College of Nurses, which respectively represent doctors and nurses within the UK, have been broadly critical of NHS England, but have also raised fears that the reorganisation could have a negative impact on healthcare workers and patients.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are investing an extra £26bn in health and care, but that investment must be met by reform to turn around the NHS from the worst crisis in its history.

“Our reforms are cutting bureaucracy to make sure that every penny is improving front-line care for patients,” she continued, adding that “it is only by getting the NHS running more efficiently that we will deliver on our Plan for Change and cut waiting times for treatment.”