BOSSES who run hospitals across Morecambe Bay have confirmed they will not be making any staff redundant.

Although fears were raised earlier this year that up to 230 jobs could be at risk, it has been announced by the the chief executive of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust that she does not “evisage the need” for job losses.

The announcement, made at a meeting with the Cumbria County Council health scrutiny panel today, follows a 45-day ‘efficiency’ consultation with staff.

Jackie Daniel, trust chief, said: “We are pleased that we do not envisage the need for any redundancies as a result of these proposals.

“As we stated when we launched the consultation, our aim has always been to minimise any job losses through redeployment into existing vacancies. ”

The trust runs Furness General, Westmorland General and Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

Nurses, midwives and clinical staff were all thought to be at risk, according to documents released by the trust when the consultation period began.

Councillors have said they are “pleased” that no redundancies will be made, although many raised concerns in the meeting over how the trust’s £30million defict will now be addressed.

Coun Steven Bowditch, said: “I’d like to move that the board expresses its concerns about the savings the trust is having to make.”

Furness MP, John Woodcock, later said: “It is good that redundancies are apparently being avoided by the trust but all the savings outlined in this plan represent only a fraction of the £25 million cuts being imposed on our hospitals by the Conservative-led government.

“All our hospitals face losing key services unless health ministers agree to our request to give this troubled trust more time to change by rethinking the speed and scale of the cuts they are demanding.”

Earlier this week Mr Woodcock obtained a promise from Dr Dan Poulter MP that the health minister would hold another meeting with local MPs to discuss this issue.

But Coun Willie Whelan told Ms Daniel in the committee meeting: “What’s pleasing is the transparency that you seem to have developed and it’s giving confidence to people because they can see you are being honest.”

Ms Daniel later said the trust is committed to patient safety and added: “The Trust recognises that organisational change can be unsettling and remains committed to continuing to support staff in a variety of ways.”