Hundreds of NHS jobs could be lost as two major regional health boards – NHS Sussex and NHS Surrey Heartlands – prepare to merge under government plans to cut costs and streamline the

health service.

The merger of the two Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), expected to be completed by April next year, forms part of sweeping NHS reforms aimed at reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency. Currently, the two organisations employ around 1,350 staff, but a "significant number" of roles are now under threat, according to NHS Sussex chairman Stephen Lightfoot.

Speaking at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on Tuesday, Mr Lightfoot warned that demand on health services is increasing while budgets are tightening.

“Over the next three years, as demand continues to grow, we will have to reduce our spending,” he said. “We’re going to have to work very hard to make better use of the money that we have.”

While the overall combined budget for Sussex and Surrey will remain unchanged, the two ICBs have been ordered to halve their running costs by December – a move that will inevitably impact staffing levels.

ICBs are responsible for coordinating healthcare services in their areas, bringing together NHS providers, local councils, and other organisations to improve health outcomes and reduce inequality.

The merger comes in the wake of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement in March that NHS England will be abolished as part of efforts to reduce red tape. As part of the overhaul, roughly 9,000 administrative jobs are being axed across NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care – about half of the total workforce at those institutions.

The reform package also includes the dissolution of the independent health watchdog, Healthwatch, further signaling a fundamental shift in how the NHS is managed and overseen.