Management jobs are to be shed at Bradford District Care Trust as it moves towards foundation trust status.

The trust is seeking voluntary redundancies and voluntary early retirement as part of a consultation with its senior management.

It is seeking to reduce managerial posts from 79 to 54. It is hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies, although they have not been ruled out.

The move comes after community health services, such as district nurses, school nursing teams and podiatry, were transferred to the care trust last April. The transfer process highlighted areas of “significant duplication” and “potential for improved ways of working” within the new organisation’s senior management structure. It also presented an opportunity for the care trust, which also provides mental health and learning disability services, to save money through the integration of management structures. The trust, which has its headquarters in Saltaire, needs to save £18.5 million over the next five financial years to 2017.

Care trust directors are meeting with staff and trade unions. Interviews will take place this month for ring-fenced posts and final redundancy notices will be issued by the end of April, with staff leaving by June.

Nicola Lees, director of operations and nursing at Bradford District Care Trust, said the plan was to create a single management structure by area, such as one for Keighley and Craven, one for Bradford North and Shipley and one for Bradford South and West, rather than a management team for each service. The aim was to streamline services.

She said: “To do this we need to review management structures that are in place. It is looking at what is the management structure that we need that is efficient but effective to deliver services out in localities.”

Unions have been consulted and two staff briefings have also been held.

“I think people understand what is happening in public sector services in that things need to change,” she added.