There are "fears and uncertainty" among NHS staff after the blood and transplant service proposed reducing team sizes and the amount of contracted overtime.
NHS Blood and Transplant has today told BusinessLive it's proposing changes to its 24/7 logistics service - which mainly involves transporting donated blood between its centres.
There are believed to be around 300 drivers across the UK, but a consultation has now started that will see them offered voluntary redundancies.
A source who works alongside some of the drivers in the North of England said: "I just feel really sorry for those who are going to lose their jobs. These people have families, but they are going to be losing thousands of pounds each year."
He said in Liverpool , he was told around 10 people could lose their jobs, and that the futures of around 300 drivers nationally are at risk. The NHS Blood and Transplant said there are "no plans for compulsory redundancies".
"It's the talk of the depot. There's a lot of fear and uncertainty," he added.
A spokeswoman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We are proposing to make a number of changes to our complex 24/7 logistics service, which mainly transports donated blood.
“Modern hospitals don’t use as much blood as they used to. That means we don’t need to transport as much blood as we did before."
She added that the service was doing "all it can" to support staff through the consultation and any potential changes - as well as working closely with trade unions.
Proposals include reducing the size of the team by offering voluntary redundancies and reducing contracted overtime - but the spokeswoman maintained there is "no plan" for compulsory redundancies.
“Hospitals will continue to get all the blood their patients need. Blood donors and patients will not be impacted by these proposed changes," she added.
