District nursing posts in south Manchester could be slashed under proposals being considered by cash-strapped health chiefs, the MEN can reveal.

Leaked documents show that up to 28 community nursing jobs could go as part of cost-cutting measures by the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust.

Nurses and union chiefs claim the restructure could pose a risk to patients and the well-being of staff.

The leak comes after the MEN revealed UHSM, which runs Wythenshawe Hospital and community services, is expected to end the financial year with a debt of £3 million.

The South Manchester district nursing service currently operates with the equivalent of around 136 nurses across Withington, Fallowfield, Didsbury, Burnage, Wythenshawe and Northenden.

The consultation document proposes to reduce the number of full-time posts to 108 and get rid of all Band 4 nurses.

New ‘long day working’ shifts are being considered by the trust, who claim the current day and night shifts are inefficient.

It would mean around half of the workforce could have to work 12-hour shifts – similar to those of hospital nurses.

Concerned staff have taken the unusual step to set up a petition against the proposals, which has already attracted more than 300 supporters.

In a joint letter to the MEN, the South Manchester Community Nursing team claim the proposed changes pose a risk to the health and safety of employees.

The letter states: “Our employer UHSM has an obvious lack of empathy or understanding of its community workers and focus on running an NHS hospital as a business that is in debt.

“This has subsequently created an oppressive and intimidating working environment for us, which has needlessly caused fear, distress, anxiety and stress.”

The district nursing team look after patients who need care at home – often when they have been released from hospital.

Some of the conditions include diabetes, heart failure, post-operative wound care and palliative care.

Trust bosses are also proposing to give each nurse a laptop or mobile device to use on the road to save up to an hour a day previously spent travelling to and from the office.

In a letter sent out to staff in January, chief nurse Mandy Bailey said she understood it was ‘an incredibly difficult and unsettling time'.

She wrote: “UHSM currently faces the difficult challenge of delivering high-quality, safe and patient-centred care whilst also delivering financial efficiencies to keep the Trust financially viable.”

A spokesman for UHSM stressed the proposals were still subject to consultation.

He added: “We are currently engaging with our community nursing teams to ensure we continue to deliver excellent patient care in our local communities.

“The proposed changes aim to provide 24/7 community nursing care, bring care closer to home for our patients and smarter ways of working for our staff, such as the introduction of laptops to ensure staff can access our IT systems in the community.

“Our staff are providing feedback on these ideas and this will be considered before we issue a final proposal.

“At this stage, these are proposals and no decisions have been made.”

The consultation ends on March 16.

Meanwhile, union chiefs say nursing staff are 'horrified, angry and concerned’ by UHSM’s proposals.

Tim Ellis, Unison regional organiser for health, said: “These proposals are a disaster for the district nursing service.

“Staff are already stretched to their limit and these changes will be to the detriment of patients, who need to be cared for in their home environment.

“More patients as a result will have to go to acute hospitals, which are already overloaded, and slow down discharge of patients.

“Those complex patients who need the district nursing service to stay at home will end up being admitted to hospital on the acute wards.

“If posts are cut, the existing district nursing team will not be able to cope with the pressure.”

Consultants, GPs and fellow health workers are said to be backing the petition.

Maria Bryant, senior officer for the Royal College of Nursing (North West, said: “The Royal College of Nursing is concerned by the current proposals by UHSM to reconfigure its community services.

“Whilst much of the detail is still missing, the proposals we’ve seen could impact on the quality of care received by patients.

“We’re also anxious about service delivery and staff safety issues.

“The proposals are currently out to consultation and so we’re urging our members to let us have their views to help shape our final response.

“In the meantime, we’ll continue to work closely with the other health unions to protect both patient services and nursing posts.”