Hundreds of 111 NHS Direct jobs under threat
Hundreds of people working for NHS Direct, a failed provider to the NHS helpline 111, are to lose their jobs.
NHS Direct announced in July that it was planning to pull out of its contracts due to severe financial problems.
In October it said it would close after projecting a £26 million deficit for this financial year.
Some 200 of its 700 staff have already been told their jobs are safe, as they move to other providers.
Of the remaining 500 many may also escape redundancy, with back office staff most likely to lose their jobs. NHS Direct originally won 11 of the 46 contracts across England to provide the 111 service.
But last July, it announced it would be unable to provide the service in a number of areas, including the West Midlands.
A spokesman said: "NHS Direct has written to around 500 employees, including around 140 nurses, giving them formal notice they are at risk of redundancy at the end of March."
