A thousand cleaners, porters, caterers, maintenance workers and other facilities staff at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) face being sold out of the health service, UNISON warns today.
The trust, which runs hospitals in Basildon, Chelmsford and Southend, wants to contract out all ‘soft facilities’ services – jobs such as cleaning, catering and security – as well as some other functions, including maintenance and grounds work.
MSEFT has not said how many workers would be involved, but UNISON estimates around 1,000 posts could be outsourced to a new private company, threatening their pay, conditions and pensions.
Outsourcing also means a worse deal for patients, says UNISON, as private providers cut corners to eke as much cash as possible out of contracts potentially leading to dirtier hospitals and worse food.
The news comes days after MSEFT was ranked as the worst large acute hospital in England in a new government league table.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Lucas Bertholdi-Saad said: “No-one would deny things desperately need to change at the Mid and South Essex trust. Waiting lists are some of the worst in the health service and staff satisfaction is dire.
“But to go down a cost-cutting path that will only make services worse beggars belief.
“It will be up to MSEFT staff to turn the trust around. Senior managers need to recognise this and start treating workers with respect. Not try to flog them off to the lowest bidder.”
