UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, today called for a halt to plans by NHS England to either axe 900 jobs in an internal reorganisation or to privatise services with some work being transferred to India. The decision about the future of staff, which includes the closure of dozens of offices across the UK, is to be made at a private session in the board meeting tomorrow.
The cuts affect mainly low paid workers carrying out a wide range of vital administrative work, including dealing with prescription charges, payments to GPs, opticians and dentists as well as referrals for cancer screening.
NHS England is faced with choices involving an internal restructure where there will be job losses and office closures, or to hand a £60M contract to Shared Services Connected Ltd (a private company owned 75% by Steria Ltd), without having gone through any kind of tendering or procurement process. If the contract is transferred to SSCL Ltd, there will be at least similar numbers of redundancies – the cost of which will apparently be met by the NHS.
“UNISON is calling on the Board of NHS England to put a halt to these plans and engage in full, open and frank discussions with staff and unions” said Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health. She went on to say:
“These proposals have been hammered out behind closed doors and are mired in secrecy. The staff and public have a right to know details of the SBS bid, how and why this decision will be made. Staff are also being kept in the dark about their futures and this is very upsetting and disruptive for them personally and for the service.
“The potential loss of at least 900 jobs and the closure of dozens of offices across the UK will be a bitter blow to workers and their families. At a time when many companies are bringing back services from abroad, it is shameful that NHS England is seeking to make quick savings by outsourcing some work to India.”
The union has today written a long and detailed letter to Board members asking for them to reconsider, setting out the flaws in the outsourcing plans and severely criticising the secretive nature of discussions.
Ends
Notes to Editors
A copy of the letter is available from the press office – numbers above
UNISON slams 900 NHS job losses, work transferred to India
Procurement can be broadly described as the process by which organisations acquire goods and services For decades, the UK has seen a drive toward pushing public authorities into acquiring those services from external providers, creating an explosion of privatisation that puts services in the hands of private companies or non-profit organisations. These contractors typically employ […]
The NHS is facing serious threats. Services and jobs are threatened with some employers using the economy as an excuse to attack staff pay, terms and conditions. We believe patients come before money. Find out how UNISON is campaigning to make sure the NHS is safe for patients and staff.
Nearly half a million UNISON members work in health care in the NHS and for organisations providing NHS services. We work to improve terms and conditions, highlight issues that will affect all workers, ensure workplaces are safe and challenge discrimination.
