SIXTY home visit nurses could be axed in “grievous cuts plans” that would hit deprived areas, Unite warned yesterday.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has announced plans to cut around 27 per cent of its health visitor posts which Unite has blamed on a government plan to cut £20 billion from the NHS budget by 2020.

“The grievous cuts planned for the health visitor workforce will mean that the 20 ‘lead clinics’ will end, which will have a disastrous impact, particularly in already deprived areas of the county,” said Unite lead officer for health in the East Midlands Garry Guye.

The move is on top of cuts to the trust controlled by Nottingham County Council from £15.4 million this year to just over £13.6m in the financial year 2018/19.

The union has called for urgent talks with management to discuss alternatives to the reductions.