OVER 100 NHS office staff in Hounslow are fearing for their jobs as the Government announces a huge shake up.

On Monday, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley published a white paper detailing plans for GPs to take over 80 per cent of the health budget and for local authorities, including Hounslow Council to take charge of public health.

These dramatic changes would see GPs take control of huge budgets and greater power to decide patient services as well as abolishing NHS Hounslow – which employs 153 people, by 2013. Hounslow PCT will not yet say how many jobs will be transferred to other NHS organisations and how many people will be made redundant as "it's still early days".

But a Unison spokeswoman said: "It's obvious from the white paper that we are going to see massive disruption in the NHS and alonsgide that - a serious loss of jobs.

"It's going to be very difficult for staff being asked to co-operate with plans which are effectively doing away with their own jobs. The plans will certainly cause a lot of instability.

"The idea of handing over £80 billion to GPs for them to commission services with out any of this being tested is very dangerous."

The government shake-up of the NHS, billed as the biggest in its 62-year history, aims to give patients more choice, but will lead to the redundancy of thousands of NHS managers.

An NHS Hounslow spokesman said: "Even before the White Paper, we have been planning to reduce costs and become more efficient. NHS Hounslow has already reduced the use of interim and consultancy staff. We may also need to look closely at vacancies when they arise and review appointments to make sure essential staff are still being recruited."