By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: A councillor has branded plans to transfer hundreds of NHS staff across Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire to a private company “not acceptable.”
Bath’s Royal United Hospital — together with Salisbury NHS Trust and Swindon’s Great Western Hospital NHS Trust — plans to transfer hundreds of staff to private company Pulse on August 1. Robin Moss, who leads the opposition Labour group on Bath and North East Somerset Council, said Labour councillors had written to health secretary Wes Streeting to raise their concerns.
Mr Moss said: “It is not acceptable, in my view, to degrade the pay and conditions of part-time staff, a high proportion of whom tend to be women. I’m also not clear about how this decision had actually been made, who has been consulted, and therefore its legitimacy in view of those questions.”
Pay is not expected to be affected under the plan, but conditions of employment could change as staff will not be eligible for TUPE (transfer under protected employment) to Pulse. It is “bank” staff, who pick up flexible shifts to cover staff absences or increased demand on the NHS, who would be affected by the move.
Although pay would not be affected, the two fifths of bank staff who do not also have full-time NHS contracts could lose thousands of pounds in lost retirement savings. Instead of an NHS pension contribution of 23.7%, they would receive an employer pension contribution of 6% once they are transferred to Pulse.
Mr Moss said: “How does this make patient healthcare better if you are demoralising staff? […] How do we think privatising part of the NHS is a good idea and why haven’t you told people about what you always knew was going to be a complicated decision?”
The three trusts, who work together as BSW Hospitals Group, said they had followed the required legal process and did not need to consult with the local authority, but accepted that they should have communicated better. The plan to transfer the staff was only revealed when Unison representative Baz Harding-Clark and former RUH governor Nicola James raised it at a Bath and North East Somerset Council health scrutiny committee meeting in April.
The NHS integrated care board, which is responsible for commissioning care across Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire area, was only told about it by the RUH the morning of that meeting. Committee chair Dine Romero has written to the NHS trusts for more information ahead of also writing to raise the issue with Wes Streeting.
A spokesperson for BSW Hospitals Group said: “Throughout the process to outsource the temporary staffing service we engaged with partners that included our staff-side trade unions, workers and employees in line with our statutory obligations to consult. The programme of work created multiple opportunities for all stakeholders to review proposals, ask questions, and provide feedback.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we have acknowledged that communication with the local authority scrutiny panel could have been more efficient.
“We are committed to supporting all affected workers and will make every effort to ensure a smooth transition to the new provider. We also encourage bank workers, where appropriate, to apply for suitable substantive roles as they become available.”
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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