SIX hundreds jobs will be wiped from the budget at south Essex hospitals in a desperate effort to tackle a £100million budget black hole, prompting fears of a “threat to patient safety”.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Trust - which leads Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals - wrote to staff saying “all posts” must be reviewed and the workforce headcount must be reduced by “600 whole-time equivalent posts”.

It is understood the 600 jobs are long-term vacancies but these posts may be covered by agency or bank staff, which the trust is also aiming to reduce.

As a result of the proposed cuts, only vacancies where there is an “immediate urgency” will be filled and all new vacancies will be put to a panel to determine if they need to be filled.

The trust has also been placed in “mandated intensive support” - previously known as special measures - by NHS England as a result of its finances and proposed £100million deficit for the 2024/25 financial year.

If the trust fails to act, it has been told a recruitment freeze could be put in place, it is understood.

Public sector union, Unison ,has raised concerns over the impact on “overworked” staff and patient care.

Sam Older, Unison Eastern regional organiser, said: “This vacancy freeze will ring alarm bells for already overworked staff. These 600 posts weren’t created for the hell of it, they’re there to provide quality healthcare to 1.2 million people across mid and south Essex.

“The trust was already struggling with rising demand. Slashing staff numbers, cancelling bank shifts and long waits to fill vacancies is only going to make this worse. And there’s a clear risk that cutbacks will pose a threat to patient safety if staffing levels fall too low.

“The Mid and South Essex NHS Trust urgently needs the cash to cope with patient numbers and provide the health services that people deserve.”

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: “Our plans for financial recovery are wide-ranging.

“As part of that work we are looking at our staffing models with a view to reducing the overall headcount by 600. The number of posts and roles has grown by 2,000 in recent years, so we need to look closely at roles that have been vacant for some time to see whether they are genuinely needed and represent value for money.”