FRONTLINE positions in NSW hospitals will be the biggest casualty of planned budget cuts, the state opposition says.

Opposition Leader John Robertson says new hospital budget documents show that more than 80 per cent of jobs being cut this financial year will be frontline ones.

He said that was despite Health Minister Jillian Skinner's assurances only bureaucrats would be sacked under her $3 billion of funding cuts to the health system.

Mr Robertson said the documents showed that 739 of the 902 health jobs to be cut this financial year would come directly from Local Health Districts.

Those district agencies were responsible for nurses, clinicians, radiographers, emergency department clerks, nursing unit managers, cleaners, porters and catering staff.

"Sacking 739 hospital staff in this year alone will directly impact on the level of care people receive in NSW hospitals," Mr Robertson said.

"Some of the busiest hospitals in NSW, like John Hunter Hospital, Westmead, Campbelltown and Nepean Hospital, are in the Local Health Districts being hit hardest by these funding cuts."

But a NSW Health spokeswoman disputed the claim the government's labour expense cap would lead to widespread job losses, saying the savings could include forcing staff to take leave and axing locum and overtime pay.

"Any decisions by local health districts to offer redundancies as part of achieving employee savings will not apply to frontline nursing staff," she told News Limited.