News of the potential cuts comes days after neighbouring University Hospitals Tees trust confirmed planned cutsBill Edgar, Local Democracy Reporter and John Rogan Audience Engagement Editor
10:00, 20 Apr 2026
Darlington Memorial Hospital
Hundreds of NHS staff in County Durham and Darlington are to lose their jobs across the region’s hospitals and health facilities. The County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust confirmed it is planning to cut around 600 full-time equivalent roles from its workforce over the next two years amid “significant” financial challenges.
Health bosses at the trust have said it will be taking a “measured approach” to the cuts, including offering a voluntary severance scheme, without disrupting healthcare services. Staff will continue to be recruited in the patient safety and service delivery departments.
The trust is in charge of University Hospital North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital, as well as other community hospital sites around the region. A spokesperson said: “Like many NHS trusts nationally, we are facing significant financial pressures and have a responsibility to use public resources efficiently while providing safe, high-quality care.
“As part of this, the Trust is planning to reduce its workforce by around 600 whole-time equivalent roles over the next two years. We are taking a measured approach, including a voluntary severance scheme and exception-based recruitment. Recruitment will continue for some roles essential to patient safety and service delivery.
“We are committed to managing these changes fairly and transparently, working closely with staff, trade unions and partners to minimise impact and ensure continuity of care for our communities.”
News of the potential cuts comes amid a challenging time for the trust. A report into its breast services last year found that unnecessary surgeries were carried out, cancers were missed and poor standards of care were delivered at hospitals in Durham and Darlington. NHS officials have since apologised for the failings and said they are investigating hundreds of cases.
Earlier this year, hundreds of NHS workers at the trust secured a £5,500 back payment after a long-running dispute was finally settled. Unison, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, previously warned that up to 900 workers had been left in “immense financial distress”. And now the union has warned that up to 21,000 roles could be cut nationally by 2028.
The neighbouring University Hospitals Tees trust, which covers North Tees, Hartlepool and South Tees, also said it is planning to cut 600 roles. A spokesperson said: “Since 2020 University Hospitals Tees’ whole-time equivalent growth in staff has been over 2,800. We will be aiming to reduce our headcount by around 3.75%, circa 600 members of staff.”
Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, said he is “extremely concerned” by the potential cuts. Helga Pile, Unison’s head of health, said staff morale has been hampered by the proposed cuts at trusts around the country.
She added: “Cutting thousands of NHS jobs is the wrong answer when staff are already stretched to breaking point. Years of underfunding have left many trusts out of pocket and ministers’ financial reset is creating deep uncertainty about services and staff.
“The NHS is being asked to transform how care is delivered, with more community services and technology, but none of this is possible without the staff to make it happen.”
As part of the cuts, UNISON said trusts are planning to reduce nurses and other clinical staff, as well as support post reductions through vacancy freezes, restructuring and reduced use of agency workers.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Thanks to the extra £26 billion we have invested, the NHS has an extra 12,000 doctors, 16,000 nurses, and 8,000 mental health workers compared to July 2024.
“We make no apology for reducing spend on agency staff, for which the NHS was previously paying huge sums to rip-off recruitment agencies. It is only because of that focus on getting better value for money that we have been able to invest in more frontline staff, give staff above forecast inflation pay rises for two years in a row, and improve services for patients.”
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