Hundreds of NHS staff from the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) have raised serious concerns over mounting workloads and financial hardship after the Trust announced cuts to bank shifts as part of a £73.5 million cost-saving drive.
During a virtual staff meeting held on 2 April, which was later leaked on YouTube, employees described chaotic ward conditions and shared emotional testimonies about the impact of reduced hours. One nurse challenged senior management, asking: “Have any of you been on the wards at the moment and seen the chaos?”
She claimed she had been left to care for 16 patients on a single shift, though the Trust later said the ratio was one to nine due to staff sickness, and deemed the situation “not unsafe.”
Trust Faces Backlash for Leaked Staff Call
The 80-minute Microsoft Teams meeting, which involved up to 400 staff members, was publicly accessible on YouTube for a month and viewed by over 300 people before being made private. The Trust called the leak a breach of confidentiality and said it was offering support to staff affected.
Staff Rely on Bank Shifts to Survive
Temporary bank shifts, commonly used to fill staffing gaps, have become a vital income source for many healthcare workers. Some staff members revealed they now have no work lined up for months. “I rely on bank to pay for everything,” one nurse said. Others spoke of the emotional toll and fear of financial instability, describing reactions of “horror” when their shifts were suddenly removed.
Union and Public Concern Grows
Rad Kerrigan, a regional organiser for Unison, criticised both the decision to reduce shifts and the apparent lapse in digital security: “Bank staff play a critical role in patient safety. Removing their shifts puts them in financial danger.”
Despite the backlash, the Trust defended its approach, citing the need for NHS-wide financial reform and encouraging affected staff to apply for permanent positions. However, with fewer vacancies and mounting pressure, many are left uncertain about their future.
