Rotherham Hospital bosses have shelved plans to form an NHS Subsidiary Company thanks to efforts by local MP John Healey, NHS Staff and local union bosses.
Last year Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust announced proposals to set up a subsidiary company meaning supporting roles, such as porters and cleaners, could have been outsourced with staff facing changes to their pay and conditions.
John helped organise meetings between hospital staff, union representatives and the Trust’s Chief Executive and Chair to outline their concerns with the plans.
John said: “I welcome the decision by Rotherham NHS Foundation trust to call a halt to the proposals, it is sound sense for our hospital services and staff who work there.
“It’s thanks to the hard work of NHS staff and unions who, together with MPs, have forced the hospital board to think again on the plans which had the potential to create a two-tier workforce.
“The fact that hospitals are even having to consider such complicated schemes to save money shows how stretched NHS finances have become.”
Lynn Monk, Branch Secretary, UNISON Rotherham Health said: “The UNISON branch are very grateful for the support we received from John as well as the wider public of Rotherham in opposing the transfer of staff to the Wholly Owned Subsidiary.
“They realised that it would undermine the staff pay and pensions but importantly could have resulted in the wholesale transfer of many more staff out of the NHS, privatisation by the back door.
“UNISON members stood firm against it, bolstered by the support from John and his colleagues.”