IT contractors in the NHS may face job cuts as the government seeks to make £20 billion worth of savings in England, a nurses' union has announced.

Information from 26 NHS Trusts across the country, collected by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), indicates that at least 5,600 jobs are likely to go.

Employees across the entire scope of the NHS, from frontline nurses to back-office IT contractors, are finding themselves at risk due to the cost saving measures, the union claims.

"Despite assurances that the NHS budget will be protected, the reality is that locally, trusts are making deep and dangerous cuts to staff numbers now, with further cuts planned for the future," said Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN.

In February, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation appealed for organisations in the public sector not to cut jobs.

The group claimed that a more strategic approach to employment using contractors and temporary workers could make significant savings.