News that the George Eliot Hospital has today (27 March) pulled back from the brink of privatisation, has been greeted as a victory for common sense by UNISON, the UK’s largest union. The union congratulated the Trust for listening and reacting positively to the concerns raised by UNISON.
Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said:
“UNISON argued right from the start that the whole George Eliot Hospital franchising process was fundamentally flawed and was a smokescreen for privatisation. We fought a massive battle locally and legally, to save the hospital from being taken over by cutthroat private bidders. Today’s decision is a victory for UNISON, for patients, staff and the whole community”
The union’s highly vocal campaign saw the setting up of local stalls and public meetings, contacting Trust Board members individually alongside local councillors, the Trust scrutiny committee and more. The union also helped to mount a strong legal challenge over the secrecy surrounding the procurement process.
Only weeks ago, UNISON’s Head of Health wrote to the Trust Chief Executive calling for time-out on the whole process, warning that the lack of openness surrounding the entire bidding process, has resulted in a number of serious failures to meet legal requirements.
Christina McAnea said:
“It was quite obvious that the arguments set out in the original Business Case were no longer valid. There had been no recognition of the progress being made by the Trust. What’s more this progress has been made with the support and expertise that’s available within the NHS. I am very pleased that our arguments have been got through to the Trust and the George Eliot is free from the threat of privatization at last.
“The Government must take note of today’s decision. The Tories and Lib Dem Coalition are hell bent on steamrolling competition into the NHS, and this has led to a terrible waste of time and money at George Eliot. They need to think again about the value of listening to staff, patients, the local community and unions before pressing ahead with pet projects.
“There is real value too, in trusts sharing good practice to drive up standards and George Eliot has a much brighter future as a result.”
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