// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
Top-rated mental health trust asked to save £24m
East London NHS Foundation Trust operates from 120 community and inpatient sites
A mental health trust rated "outstanding" by the health watchdog says it has to make £24.1m in savings this year — about 2% of its budget.
East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) provides mental health and community health services for about 1.8 million people across east London and Bedfordshire.
Like other NHS trusts, ELFT is required to meet annual financial and efficiency targets. Up to 330 posts from a workforce of 6,000 could be affected by any cuts and a union said patients would "feel the consequences".
A spokesperson said the trust had "a responsibility to live within its means" and was working to deliver the required efficiencies while "protecting the quality and safety of care".
Campaigners across the country have been calling for fairer funding for NHS mental health services for more than a decade
The trust plans to redesign nine front-line services for the financial year 2026-27 including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), addiction services, adult mental health crisis and community services, and talking therapies.
Some 40 posts could go through reduced spending on temporary staff, while a smaller number of posts are expected to be lost from non-clinical and corporate services.
Last year, ELFT made £37m in what it described as efficiency savings., external
The union Unite told the BBC it planned to ballot members on strike action over the way the changes were being implemented.