Plans to "part-privatise" some NHS back-office functions could be scuppered by unions who claim Westcountry health chiefs have broken the law.

Moves are currently under way to hand over certain tasks associated with family health services to NHS Shared Business Services (SBS), a 50-50 joint venture between the Government and private firm Steria.

GPs in Devon and Cornwall have already spoken out against the move, which will see some "data crunching" outsourced to India while dozens of people in the region are made redundant.

Trade union Unison says it has not been properly consulted and primary care trusts NHS Cornwall and NHS Devon, must suspend the move.

The claim is rejected by the PCTs, who added that the transfer will save £10 million which can be reinvested into frontline patient care.

Christine Dayus, Unison organiser for Cornwall, said people were angry.

"People are feeling insecure and distressed and the fact that it is coming up to Christmas just makes it worse," she said.

"We are now in dispute with NHS Cornwall because they have failed to consult with us. To be honest, I don't think they understood what their obligations were, but the legislation is very clear."

According to Unison, there are 27 members of staff dealing with family health services at NHS Cornwall. Around half will lose their jobs if the transfer goes ahead.

The remaining staff will be part of a broader organisation. But instead of the full range of services, each centre will only retain one aspect. In Cornwall this will be registration, while in Devon it will be medical records. Meanwhile, Ms Dayus said the "data crunching" aspect would be outsourced to an SBS centre in India.

"This is a terrible way to deal with staff who have given years of loyal service," she said.

"Terms and conditions will be protected at the point of transfer, but after that there is nothing to stop SBS from changing things and staff are already being told that there will be a reorganisation."

In Devon, 28 posts in family health services could be reduced to 20 full-time-equivalents.

Karen Williams, Unison organiser, said though staff were informed of the proposals in October, the union was not brought round the table until earlier this month.

"That is so late, it is almost pointless. We have done our best to advise our members, but overall we believe a meaningful consultation has not taken place," she said.

The Western Morning News reported earlier this week how the region's GPs wanted the transfer shelved. Their rebellion is underpinned by dealings with SBS over invoice processing which one Cornish GP practice manager said was "a shambles".

Former Health Minister and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw called the transfer of family health services to SBS "part-privatisation."

An NHS Cornwall spokesman said: "We are confident that we have observed the law."

Chris Squire, deputy director of human resources for NHS Devon, rejected Unison's claims and said the transfer would save £10 million.

"We are confident that the consultation process with staff has been legal," he said.

"The consultation period closed on Thursday and we are currently reviewing the feedback received, as well as the issues raised by Unison."