Protests have taken place at three hospitals against proposed job cuts to save £49m.
Rallies took place at Treliske Hospital in Truro, West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and at St Michael’s Hospital, Hayle, on Thursday.
UNISON said it was meeting with Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) to discuss the cuts, which it said would likely result in 250 jobs being at risk, including 150 in admin.
RCHT said it was looking at possible redeployment within its hospitals and across the wider NHS and that it aims to retain skilled and experienced employees wherever possible.
UNISON said staff who remained would be under increased pressure and their capacity to deliver high-quality care would be reduced.
It added that there would be an ongoing impact across the entire trust’s services.
Charlie Woods, UNISON South West regional organiser, said the budget cut had serious consequences.
He said: “The trust must stop these cuts now. One way to tackle this financial mess would be to reduce wasteful spending on private consultants and instead invest the money in employees so patients are safe.”
Richard Evans, Unison branch secretary, said he understood cuts needed to be made but believed they should be over a longer period of time.
“We need to locally support what services we provide in Cornwall and the excellent patient care that everyone delivers in Cornwall … if we lose that … our families and friends and our community will really feel the impact,” he said.
UNISON said it held talks with the RCHT at 15:00 GMT on Thursday.
RCHT said like all parts of the public sector, the NHS was facing significant financial and demand pressures.
It said it must deliver a £49.3m savings plan this year, which was broadly in line with similar levels of savings requirements for other NHS Trusts.
It said it was engaging with staff and unions in line with agreed consultation arrangements.
Final proposals were still being developed as part of these formal processes, and the feedback it had received was being used to shape the future structure of its corporate and clinical administration services, it said.
