Northampton General Hospital confirms mix of job losses and removing vacant posts workforce changes
Northampton General Hospital has confirmed plans to reduce its workforce would be done through a mixture of removing vacant posts and some job losses as it prepares to introduce AI technology.
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN), which runs Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital, has rejected claims that almost 100 redundancies could be made, saying much of the reduction will instead come through removing vacancies.
Staff were given further details about the proposed changes during a meeting for admin workers on Thursday.
UHN is introducing Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) across its hospitals this autumn, an AI-powered system designed to create clinical notes and documentation from patient consultations and reduce the paperwork faced by clinicians.
Managing director Julie Hogg said: “We are consulting with colleagues about proposed changes to our workforce, which we believe will allow us to speed-up and improve the way we answer patient phone calls, deliver clinical letters to patients and GPs, thereby providing more timely access to patient care.
“If the proposals go ahead we will be reducing the size of our teams, however, much of this will be through removing vacancies – there will not be 100 redundancies.”
Ms Hogg said the changes were designed to address concerns raised by patients about difficulties contacting hospital departments for information or to change appointments.
She said some patients and GPs were also waiting “many weeks” for letters to be typed and sent.
UHN plans to use AI tools to support that process, although staff will remain involved and consultants will continue to sign off their letters.
The trust has considered which roles would be needed under the proposed new model and developed draft job descriptions which will now form part of the consultation.
UHN expects the majority of individual staff will see no change to their pay banding. Where roles do change, existing policies covering pay protection and redeployment will apply.
It said that while some job titles could change, colleagues would still have access to secretarial support under the proposed model.
UNISON has warned that while AI could bring benefits to the NHS, it should not be used as a way of cutting jobs.
UNISON East Midlands regional organiser Nadeem Samari said: “UNISON believes AI should be used to support an already overstretched workforce, improve patient experience and help bring down waiting lists. It should not become a means of cutting jobs in a service that is already struggling with workforce shortages.”
He said the consultation would leave staff facing uncertainty over their futures, adding: “The NHS needs innovation, but it also needs experienced, dedicated staff. Technology should strengthen the workforce, not be seen as a cheaper alternative.”