SOUTHEND and Basildon hospital staff have been “banned from ordering new uniform” and having an extra paid day off for birthdays as bosses introduce new cost-cutting measures.

Mid and South Essex NHS Trust has introduced new “management consultants PwC” to help “improve its financial position” and make ways of working “more efficient” at its hospitals.

This comes after 600 jobs were set to be wiped from the budget in an effort to tackle a £100million budget black hole.

In an email sent to staff, decisions include banning orders on uniforms, stopping paid leave for birthdays, and stopping recruitment to cover external secondments.

Staff also claim they were told not to use hand towels when dryers are available.

Staff at Southend and Basildon say the decisions are “making things worse” and “putting patients at risk”.

However, the trust says decisions will be made to make ways of working “more efficient and to reduce our operating deficit”.

Caroline Hennessey, Unison Eastern’s head of health, said: “Staff are under huge pressure and silly suggestions being made by senior managers are simply making things worse. Scrimping on essential kit could be putting patients at risk. And stopping employees from taking time off is storing up more problems for the future.”

She has warned if the trust wants to avoid a “winter staffing crisis”, it needs to listen to concerns and “sit down with the unions to find a better solution”.

A senior member of staff at Southend Hospital added: “Every minute, and hour counts. Some sort of decisions are ridiculous, such as not being able to order paper to be able to print patients’ prescriptions or medical details. We can’t recruit into the vacancies we have got externally, only internally. We can’t keep doing this. We shouldn’t have to fight for everything we need.”

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: “We are receiving support from management consultants PwC, funded by NHS England, to help make our ways of working more efficient and to reduce our operating deficit. Any change we are implementing is first risk assessed for its impact on the quality and safety of patient care.”