Top-rated mental health trust asked to save £24m

A mental health trust rated "outstanding" by the health watchdog says it has to make £24.1m in savings this year — about 2% of its budget.

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) provides mental health and community health services for about 1.8 million people across east London and Bedfordshire.

Like other NHS trusts, ELFT is required to meet annual financial and efficiency targets. Up to 330 posts from a workforce of 6,000 could be affected by any cuts and a union said patients would "feel the consequences".

A spokesperson said the trust had "a responsibility to live within its means" and was working to deliver the required efficiencies while "protecting the quality and safety of care".

The trust plans to redesign nine front-line services for the financial year 2026-27 including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), addiction services, adult mental health crisis and community services, and talking therapies.

Some 40 posts could go through reduced spending on temporary staff, while a smaller number of posts are expected to be lost from non-clinical and corporate services.

Last year, ELFT made £37m in what it described as efficiency savings.

The union Unite told the BBC it planned to ballot members on strike action over the way the changes were being implemented.

Regional union officer Gary Boodhna said: "You cannot take 5% of the workforce out of an NHS trust and pretend it will not affect services.

"Staff are already stretched to breaking point. Our members know how hard it is to keep services running with the resources they have now.

"Cutting hundreds more jobs will only pile more pressure on to those who remain and patients will inevitably feel the consequences."

The trust said providing "safe and compassionate care" was at the "heart of what we do".

Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar & Limehouse in east London, said she had written to the trust to express her fears.

"At this moment, the focus could have been on how NHS funding is restored and how there can be parity between the quality and level of care for physical health and mental health," she said.

"I am concerned that these cuts are particularly targeted towards mental health care services that are of equal importance to patients."

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The trust has a strong national reputation, being one of a small number of NHS organisations to hold the highest rating from the Care Quality Commission.

Managers from ELFT have previously been placed in charge of other struggling organisations, including Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

An ELFT spokesperson said: "Like all NHS providers, we have a responsibility to live within our means so that we can continue to provide high-quality care to the communities we serve.

"Our approach is clinically led and focused on meeting the needs of our service users.

"We are working closely with our trade unions, colleagues and partners to identify the most effective and sustainable way to deliver the efficiencies required of us, while protecting the quality and safety of care."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government is dedicated to transforming the quality and sustainability of NHS services, including for those who need mental health support."

NHS England has been contacted for comment.

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