NHS Bedfordshire descends into ‘managerial chaos’, says Unite
7th August 2009
NHS Bedfordshire, which is at the forefront of plans to hive off
services into ‘social enterprises’, has descended into managerial
chaos, Unite, the largest union in the country, has said.
NHS Bedfordshire has appointed a top-flight recruitment company,
Hays Executive, to recruit three executive director posts. One
manager in the finance department is being brought back from
retirement, without the post being advertised.
Unite’s lead officer for health in the eastern of England
region, Owen Granfield, said: "It appears that NHS
Bedfordshire has descended into managerial chaos with nearly half
its executive posts being vacant and the recently retired being
brought back to bolster the managerial structure. Unite and the
other NHS trade unions are very unhappy about this.
"NHS Bedfordshire is at the forefront at promoting ‘social
enterprises’ - the hiving off of services to new organisations that
are one step removed from the NHS.
"Managerial upheaval and the misguided embrace of the private
sector in the form of social enterprises does not bode well for the
future of health services for the people of Bedfordshire. When the
NHS has to watch its finances very carefully, employing a top firm
of recruitment consultants is not a cheap exercise."
Recently, Unite revealed that 1,100 staff - and services for
more than 100,000 children and 420,000 older people in Bedfordshire
– could come under the ‘social enterprise’ umbrella under plans
proposed by Bedfordshire Community Health Services.
Unite is strongly opposed to the marketisation of the NHS, as it
puts private profit before patient care; undermines the ethos of
the NHS as a unitary service; and is detrimental to staff and their
employment conditions, as social enterprises have to compete
commercially for NHS contracts.
ENDS
Notes to news editors:
Unite’s campaign
Unite recently launched The Patchwork Privatisation of Our
Health Service – a special report which highlighted how private
companies and social enterprises – with strong government
encouragement - are taking over large swathes of the health
service, including GP practices, with adverse knock-on affects for
patients, clients, and the employment conditions of staff.
The Patchwork Privatisation of Our Health Service – a special
report can be downloaded from www.unitetheunion.org/health
and then clicking on Health B4 Profit campaign.
For further information, please ring: Owen Granfield 07768
693942 or Shaun Noble, communications officer (health sector) 020
7420 8951 or 07768 693 940.
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