More than 500 workers at East London NHS Foundation Trust are voting on industrial action over proposed cuts affecting more than 330 posts, Unite has announced.
The union says the trust is seeking approximately £25 million in savings from services including child and adolescent mental health care, adult psychology and community health provision.
The ballot covers mental-health nurses, psychologists, healthcare assistants, administrative staff and workers in other roles. It will remain open until 9 November, with industrial action potentially taking place during the winter if members vote in favour.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is a shameful plan that will put patient safety in the firing line and our members' jobs at risk." She pledged that the union would oppose the cuts.
The dispute also concerns what Unite describes as the victimisation of a branch secretary, changes to the care-navigator role and wider concerns about NHS pay. These are the union's allegations in an active industrial dispute.
When the savings proposals were reported earlier this year, the trust said they were at an indicative stage and that no change would be implemented without a quality-impact assessment. It said its approach would be clinically led and focused on protecting safe, high-quality care.
