East London NHS Foundation Trust, rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, must find £24.1m in savings this year — about 2% of its budget. Up to 330 roles could be affected from a workforce of roughly 6,000 as the trust proposes redesigns to nine front-line services, including CAMHS, addiction services and crisis teams. Unite has warned of service impacts and is preparing a ballot on strike action, while a local MP has requested a risk assessment before changes proceed.
Outstanding NHS Mental Health Trust Must Find £24.1m — Up To 330 Jobs Could Be Affected
East London NHS Foundation Trust operates from 120 community and inpatient sites [Getty Images]
East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), rated "outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission, has been asked to deliver £24.1m of savings this year — roughly 2% of its annual budget. The trust provides mental health and community services to about 1.8 million people across east London and Bedfordshire.
What the Trust Plans
ELFT says the savings form part of routine financial and efficiency targets that all NHS providers are required to meet. As part of its proposals the trust plans to redesign nine front-line services for 2026–27, including:
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Addiction services
- Adult mental health crisis and community services
- Talking therapies
The trust expects around 40 posts to be affected through reduced spending on temporary staff, with a smaller number of non-clinical and corporate roles potentially lost. Overall, up to 330 posts from a workforce of about 6,000 could be impacted if deeper cuts are required.
Campaigners across the country have been calling for fairer funding for NHS mental health services for more than a decade [Getty Images]
Reactions and Concerns
The union Unite has warned of disruption and says it will ballot members on potential strike action over how the changes are being implemented. Regional officer Gary Boodhna said:
Staff are already stretched to breaking point. Cutting hundreds more jobs will only pile more pressure on those who remain, and patients will inevitably feel the consequences.
Local MP Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse) has written to the trust expressing concern and requesting a risk assessment before major changes proceed. She called for parity between funding for physical and mental health care and warned that proposed cuts appear to target vital mental health services.
Trust Response and Context
ELFT has emphasised its commitment to providing safe, compassionate care and says its approach is clinically led and focused on service users' needs. A trust spokesperson said it is working with trade unions, staff and partners to identify sustainable ways to deliver required efficiencies while protecting quality and safety.
Apsana Begum MP says she wants a risk assessment carried out ahead of any major changes to services [Jo Holland/BBC]
Last year the trust reported making £37m in efficiency savings. ELFT is also one of a small number of NHS organisations to hold the Care Quality Commission's highest rating and has a national reputation; senior managers from the trust have previously been asked to help run other struggling organisations.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government is committed to transforming the quality and sustainability of NHS services, including mental health. NHS England has been contacted for comment.
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