Trust hired ‘untrained strike-breakers who put patients at risk’, union claims

A trust has been accused of putting patients at risk by bringing in “untrained strike-breakers” from hundreds of miles away and paying for their hotel accommodation to “disrupt” a week-long walkout by facilities management staff.

East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust brought in staff last week from as far away as Manchester, Newcastle and Hull on night shift rates of up to £27 an hour during industrial action by soft facilities management staff, Unison alleged.

The union said the strike rates paid for FM staff, which also included up to £17 an hour for day rates, were significantly higher than standard salaries, and represented “more than a newly qualified nurse’s” hourly rate.

The trust acknowledged workers from “external partner organisations” were brought in, but it said the staff were either already trained or had “undergone training to make sure [they] were able to provide essential cover for patients”.

ESNEFT also said “many staff colleagues kindly volunteered to cover the roles”.

Unison said it had written to ESNEFT chief executive Nick Hulme about the trust’s “reckless” decision to try to “disrupt” the five-day strike by cleaners, caterers, porters and other non-clinical support staff at Colchester Hospital.

The union cited alleged examples of what it claimed was the trust’s “cavalier attitude” to patient safety in a media statement. They included:

• External staff used to cover portering roles were “given just a two-hour induction for blood and oxygen monitoring duties. Regular training usually takes weeks”;
• Staff said “they saw serious breaches of infection control procedures, including mixing clinical waste with regular rubbish and leaving it piled up in corridors”; and
• Strikers finding milk and food left out past its use-by date rather than properly disposed of, which “poses a risk to patient safety” when they returned to work.

The strike follows the trust announcing outline proposals to outsource the hospital’s FM services, an arrangement already in place for its other hospital, Ipswich. The trust said a final decision was not due until later this year.

However, an internal outline business case by the trust, obtained by HSJ, says ESNEFT’s “compassionate environment” prevented it effectively managing its FM services, as among the reasons it should be outsourced.

Unison said in a statement the temporary staff used were largely from OCS, the outsourcing firm which runs facilities at Ipswich hospital.

It said the trust had confirmed it had paid for “local hotels and [for the staff] to be bused to the hospital sites”.

A Unison statement added: “These workers were paid £27 an hour for a night shift and £17 for a day shift which is more than a newly qualified nurse… This is despite ESNEFT’s claim that outsourcing services would save the trust money… more strikes are planned next week unless the trust abandons its outsourcing plans”.

An ESNEFT statement said: “Many staff colleagues kindly volunteered to cover the roles of soft facilities management colleagues during the recent industrial action, after undergoing training to make sure we were able to provide essential cover for patients.

“Additional help was also sought from external partner organisations whose staff were also trained for the roles.

“We recognise and uphold everyone’s right to take industrial action and we are very grateful to all volunteers and employees of other organisations who put patient care first. Our colleagues have demonstrated kindness, compassion and care during this time.”