Outsourcing health contract is slap in face for key healthcare staff

by Chris Bartter

UNISON has criticised the decision announced by NHS Forth Valley to use the Private Finance Initiative to fund the new Acute General Hospital in Larbert.

UNISON is particularly concerned at the decision to award the contract for support services, cleaning, catering, portering, and linen services etc, to private sector providers Serco.

UNISON's Scottish Organiser for Health, Glyn Hawker said "After all the financial scandals that have dogged the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary PFI, and the service delivery problems that have beset schools across Scotland, not to mention the danger of clinical decisions being taken on the basis of having to justify PFI contracts in Lanarkshire, it is deeply disappointing that the NHS is again going to make the expensive mistake of going down the PFI route."

Stevie Hamill UNISON's Assistant Branch Secretary in Forth Valley Health branch said "This is a real slap in the face for our support staff members who only recently have been commended by Forth Valley Health Board for their efforts in dealing with major service change.

"The Board talk about partnership working but our members today are asking us why they have been so easily sidelined by their management partners.

"These are the same staff who have won national awards for catering and cleaning standards in the last year, now they're being sold off to the private sector. It's privatisation by another name."

Stevie concluded, "Commercial confidentiality excuses have meant that up to now we only have limited information about this process and the reasons for the decision but UNISON will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to have this decision revisited."

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