FIFTEEN jobs have been earmarked for redundancy at Hereford County Hospital in a bid to avert a cash crisis.

But acting chief executive Graham Smith said he hopes they will not be necessary.

"We will try to avoid it by fitting those involved into other posts that become vacant in the hospital," he said.

All the jobs are in administration and management and it is understood four potential redundancies have already been found a position.

People have been put on notice that redundancy might arise and talks will continue with them and their representatives over the next four weeks.

Hereford Hospitals Trust is trying to avoid being in the red to the tune of £2million by the end of March.

Axing the jobs should save £200,000 but it would not help this year if the money goes on redundancy pay.

It would be better to save the money and the staff, with their own particular skills - hence fitting them into posts becoming vacant and not recruiting new staff to fill them.

Mr Smith also revealed that a similar number of posts had also gone after changes involving managerial posts in the summer. "We lost the posts when people left, or are leaving, and we are not replacing them," he said.

Another five jobs at the hospital will also go after the Department of Trade and Industry ended funding.

They are employed by the trust to collate information and statistics, the money to pay them being provided by the DTI.

But the trust has now been told the money was no longer available.

Mr Smith also confirmed changes in the way the front line reception desk at the County Hospital is staffed.

The job is being taken over by volunteers who have been running a 'meet and greet' service since the new hospital opened.

They have been helping visitors to the hospital find their way and Mr Smith said it had been done very successfully.

A paper on the proposed redundancy plan at the hospital will be discussed at a meeting of the trust at the end of the month.

Members will also be asked to consider a proposal to close the hutted Leadon ward for medical patients before Christmas, rather than March as originally planned.