AN NHS trust has asked staff to work extra hours for free to cut costs.

A letter to staff at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust asked employees to consider doing an extra day’s work as a "voluntary contribution" to cost savings.

In the letter, from Terry Goode, director of human resources, the need to improve finances to achieve the Pembury PFI hospital was also among reasons for staff to offer their time for free. It also asked staff to consider voluntary redundancy.

Hospital bosses say staff are already doing a great job and made the informal request as one of several suggestions to cut costs.

But Kevin Coyne from trade union Amicus, said: "We are staggered by the trust’s action as it drives coach-and-horses through all the pay and consultation agreements in the book.

"Staff should not be pressured in this way to make sacrifices, even if it is not compulsory - especially for a PFI project.

"Our members at the trust are really insulted by this move as they already clock up a huge amount of unpaid overtime."

A trust spokesman said: "Our staff have suggested these ideas as part of wider plans to ensure we are working within our budgets.

"We think our staff do a great job anyway and if they want to help do a little more, that's entirely up to them and we thank them for it. If they don't that is fine too."

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