More than 3,000 people joined the hospital protest march

The 40 letters were due to be sent to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital staff last week but were put on hold after intervention by union leaders.

It follows a protest at the cuts by thousands of objectors at the weekend.

The hospital trust said wards are to close and about 400 jobs are to go, but patient care would not be compromised.

Bed reconfiguration

Plymouth Hospitals Trust said it had to lose the jobs and while most would be by freezing posts, up to 99 staff would be made redundant.

It added that it had been holding 100 nursing vacancies, and so would try to offer nurses alternative jobs.

The trust is proposing to close 50 beds. Managers also said they would save money by discharging patients earlier and increasing the amount of day surgery the hospital performed.

Iain Andrews of the Unison union said after consultation with managers on Monday: "About 40 letters of staff being at risk of redundancy have gone out, with about 50% of those on the nursing side.

"There are some more to go out, and there's a bed reconfiguration going on.

"That should be completed and then we will know the true picture of who is at risk."

Community hospital

About 3,000 protesters marched from Plymouth Hoe to the city centre on Saturday objecting to job losses and ward closures at Derriford Hospital.

Meanwhile, a health trust which runs a community hospital in north Devon says it is not under any threat of closure.

People in Ilfracombe who support the Tyrell Hospital said they were concerned the North Devon Primary Care Trust may want to sell some assets, including local hospitals.