16/08/2026
More than 140 managerial staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital are facing potential demotions and pay cuts of up to £3,600 a year as Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust seeks to plug a budget shortfall.
around 6,000 people across the Fylde Coast, Lancashire, and South Cumbria. Trust leadership aims to save approximately £500,000 through the proposed restructuring process.
The move comes against a backdrop of ongoing financial pressures at the trust. Last year, the organization revealed a deficit of around £21 million, triggering national support measures to help stabilize its operational finances.
Details gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service highlight growing friction inside the hospital. An anonymous senior manager reported that staff were left shocked, appalled, and worried by the announcement, warning that lowering pay grades would destroy staff morale and potentially impact the quality of care delivered to the local community.
Hospital leaders have emphasized that the inclusion of 144 roles in the consultation does not mean all positions will be degraded, expecting only a small number of staff to be directly affected depending on the outcome of the feedback period.
Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, stated that the trust recently carried out an important restructure of its clinical divisions to strengthen accountability, improve decision-making, and ensure services align with patient needs. She noted that executive leaders are engaging directly with impacted personnel and will weigh all consultation feedback before reaching final decisions.
