UNIONS fear more than 200 jobs could be lost at Calderstones NHS Trust as part of cost-cutting measures.

The trust, which is based near Whalley, employs 1,587 people, provides specialist services to both in-patients and out-patients with learning disabilities.

It has said it must save around £5 million over the next three years – the equivalent of 220 jobs.

UNISON representatives said they were already concerned at the pressure on services with current staff levels and argued that the cuts could mean a reduction in normal earnings for staff, with bosses considering removing unsocial hours payments.

But health chiefs said they did not want job losses and would be looking at other options first.

Graham Jowett, director of work service and development at Calderstones, said two formal meetings had been held with union representatives last month to discuss 'modernisation' changes.

He said: “We are no different from any other NHS organisation or public sector body and we do face significant challenges over the next few years.

"From our point of view it is public money and we have always got to make sure we are spending that money wisely and appropriately.

“The bottom line is we are actually trying to protect jobs, but we have got to make sure we have got the right staff in the right jobs at the right time to deliver an efficient service.

“What we have here is a nursing workforce where some of the working practices have not changed for decades and in order to develop greater efficiency together we need to look at how we deploy our staff.”

UNISON said the trust's new staffing model for on-site services would mean less qualified and unqualified staff, particularly at night and weekends, which would risk patient and staff safety, while rotating day and night teams 'would put increased stress on staff'.

Mr Jowett accepted that the earnings of some workers might be affected by the changes.

He added: “We are not going to do anything that puts service users at risk.”