Category: outsourcing

Why insourcing isn’t always a win

On the final day of UNISON’s health conference, delegates heard a series of debates on defending the NHS against privatisation.

Tam Hiddleston for the service group executive warned that, while “we invariably think of insourcing as a positive,” some insourcing “is about private operators being brought into the NHS.”

UNISON needs to be very careful to monitor “any wider implications for Agenda for Change pay and conditions,” he continued.

Chris from London noted: “What’s the point of insourcing people and you just change their uniforms?”

Moving a motion on mega trusts for the Eastern region, Glen Carrington (pictured above) highlighted the rising problems facing staff in such trusts in his region.

NHS England is pursuing trust mergers in an attempt to save money, “but after 14 long years of Tory cuts, has anyone ever looked to see what the impact is on staff?

“The chances of starting a shift in Cromer and ending up in London happens all too often,” said Mr Carrington. “Don’t let anyone tell you big is always better.”

In another motion, conference heard of staff left devastated at learning that their jobs were being outsourced.

Yet even as outsourced services have been shown to cause major problems, it is an approach that continues, and causes even more problems – not least in the increase of a “two or three or four-tier workforces” as contracts are passed from one company to another.

That situation is a “national scandal that the Tory government continues to be complicit in,” said one speaker.

Steady recruitment of healthcare students

Also on Wednesday morning, conference heard of the “steady recruitment of healthcare students” and agreed that “continuing to recruit healthcare students to UNISON is an essential part of a strategy for a strong UNISON presence in the NHS”, and welcomed the success of the union’s Future Healthcare Leaders programme.

The motion, from the national young members’ forum, noted that a recent survey of heathcare students had revealed increasing struggles with the cost of living crisis and the levels of financial support they received, with 35% agreeing that they might not be able to complete their studies because of the situation.

Among a raft of calls, conference urged the executive to:

  • engage with regional health committees, the strategic organising unit, the national young members’ forum to build and develop strategies for recruitment and organisation of healthcare students
  • campaign for better financial arrangements for healthcare students
  • work with the national women’s committee to explore the additional financial challenges facing healthcare students with childcare responsibilities.

The article Why insourcing isn’t always a win first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Why insourcing isn’t always a win

On the final day of UNISON’s health conference, delegates heard a series of debates on defending the NHS against privatisation.

Tam Hiddleston for the service group executive warned that, while “we invariably think of insourcing as a positive,” some insourcing “is about private operators being brought into the NHS.”

UNISON needs to be very careful to monitor “any wider implications for Agenda for Change pay and conditions,” he continued.

Chris from London noted: “What’s the point of insourcing people and you just change their uniforms?”

Moving a motion on mega trusts for the Eastern region, Glen Carrington (pictured above) highlighted the rising problems facing staff in such trusts in his region.

NHS England is pursuing trust mergers in an attempt to save money, “but after 14 long years of Tory cuts, has anyone ever looked to see what the impact is on staff?

“The chances of starting a shift in Cromer and ending up in London happens all too often,” said Mr Carrington. “Don’t let anyone tell you big is always better.”

In another motion, conference heard of staff left devastated at learning that their jobs were being outsourced.

Yet even as outsourced services have been shown to cause major problems, it is an approach that continues, and causes even more problems – not least in the increase of a “two or three or four-tier workforces” as contracts are passed from one company to another.

That situation is a “national scandal that the Tory government continues to be complicit in,” said one speaker.

Steady recruitment of healthcare students

Also on Wednesday morning, conference heard of the “steady recruitment of healthcare students” and agreed that “continuing to recruit healthcare students to UNISON is an essential part of a strategy for a strong UNISON presence in the NHS”, and welcomed the success of the union’s Future Healthcare Leaders programme.

The motion, from the national young members’ forum, noted that a recent survey of heathcare students had revealed increasing struggles with the cost of living crisis and the levels of financial support they received, with 35% agreeing that they might not be able to complete their studies because of the situation.

Among a raft of calls, conference urged the executive to:

  • engage with regional health committees, the strategic organising unit, the national young members’ forum to build and develop strategies for recruitment and organisation of healthcare students
  • campaign for better financial arrangements for healthcare students
  • work with the national women’s committee to explore the additional financial challenges facing healthcare students with childcare responsibilities.

The article Why insourcing isn’t always a win first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Avoid outsourcing services unless there’s a clear public benefit, says UNISON

A future Labour government should do all it can to bring outsourced contracts in health, education, police and councils back in-house, says a new report from UNISON today (Friday).Any decisions by public bodies to privatise essential services should have to pass a key public interest test, according to the research. This means the running of important local services should only be offered up to private contractors if there is deemed genuinely to be a public benefit.The test that contracts should have to pass would include the following points:

  • Value for money
  • The quality of the service that would be delivered
  • The effects on workers’ job conditions such as pay and holiday entitlements
  • Any implications for other public services and their budgets
  • The impact on the local economy and its job market
  • The ability of the contractor to meet climate targets and equality considerations.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Local services are always best provided by publicly accountable organisations that are based in the local communities they serve.“But central government has put the squeeze on health, care and school budgets, causing local councils and hospitals to put key contracts out to tender to reduce costs.“This isn’t good for anyone. Essential public services should be run for the public, not to make a profit for shareholders.”Notes to editors:– The report was presented at a fringe event at UNISON’s national conference, which has been taking place at the ACC Liverpool throughout this week. Further details of the conference can be found here. – UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors. Media contacts:Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Avoid outsourcing services unless there’s a clear public benefit, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Hospital staff in Liverpool are coming home

Around 670 staff at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be brought back in-house on 1 April this year.

Staff at two hospital sites, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen, who work as cleaners, porters, caterers and in other domestic services will be transferred onto NHS terms and conditions once the outsourced contracts come to an end at the end of March.

The move comes after a merger of hospital trusts in Liverpool in 2019, creating Liverpool University Hospitals NHS foundation trust, which left staff in similar jobs on vastly different terms and conditions depending on whether the services at their hospital were provided in-house or outsourced.

The announcement is the latest of number of instances of insourcing at the trust with other services such as security and decontamination already brought back since 2019.

Since the merger, UNISON’s Liverpool hospitals branch have campaigned strongly for the insourcing of the services at the earliest opportunity.

They argued that not only is it beneficial for the community on public health grounds, in that it will allow for improved quality and integration of services, but that, in an area of high deprivation, bringing staff onto better pay and conditions supports the local economy as well as the workers.

In harmonising the terms and conditions of these types of jobs across the trust, the chief executive of the trust echoed these sentiments,  saying the decision “delivers on our vision to support communities to live healthier happier, fairer lives.”

For the staff, a move to Agenda for Change terms and conditions will likely represent a significant pay increase as well as improvements to leave and pension offerings.

Speaking of the decision Joe Baldwin, chair of UNISON Liverpool hospitals health branch, said: “We welcome the decision to bring this service back into the NHS.

“We have been campaigning for a long time for these members to be afforded the same pay and conditions as those of us who work directly for the NHS.

“This is also about pensions and access to wider opportunities and staff benefits. We are ‘One NHS’ and our members in this service are a vital part of our health service.”

 

The article Hospital staff in Liverpool are coming home first appeared on the UNISON National site.

OCS workers secure major victory after 26 days of strike action

UNISON members at Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust have secured a major victory after taking 26 days of strike action over four months.

In a new deal, announced last week, the workers – who are outsourced to private healthcare facilities firm OCS – have won a pay rise of over 14%, an extra week of annual leave and the same sick pay as their colleagues who work directly for the NHS trust.

The 50 workers include porters, catering staff and cleaners at hospitals, mental health units and clinics in Blackburn, Blackpool, Ormskirk, and Preston.

The deal also included an agreement from the trust that the next outsourced contract will award the workers full pay parity with NHS employees.

UNISON regional organiser Dale Ollier said: “At long last, the trust has given these workers the pay that they deserve and taken a big step to ending the two-tier workforce.

“These employees have stuck together over a very long campaign and this victory is testament to their determination to end the injustice of being treated differently by their employer.

“Outsourcing to private companies shouldn’t be used to undercut workers’ pay and employment conditions.”

The article OCS workers secure major victory after 26 days of strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.

OCS workers secure major victory after 26 days of strike action

UNISON members at Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust have secured a major victory after taking 26 days of strike action over four months.

In a new deal, announced last week, the workers – who are outsourced to private healthcare facilities firm OCS – have won a pay rise of over 14%, an extra week of annual leave and the same sick pay as their colleagues who work directly for the NHS trust.

The 50 workers include porters, catering staff and cleaners at hospitals, mental health units and clinics in Blackburn, Blackpool, Ormskirk, and Preston.

The deal also included an agreement from the trust that the next outsourced contract will award the workers full pay parity with NHS employees.

UNISON regional organiser Dale Ollier said: “At long last, the trust has given these workers the pay that they deserve and taken a big step to ending the two-tier workforce.

“These employees have stuck together over a very long campaign and this victory is testament to their determination to end the injustice of being treated differently by their employer.

“Outsourcing to private companies shouldn’t be used to undercut workers’ pay and employment conditions.”

The article OCS workers secure major victory after 26 days of strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.