18.12.18
Unions pass no-confidence vote in special-measures Lincolnshire trust amid safety fears
Health unions have passed a ‘no-confidence’ vote in NHS bosses at four Lincolnshire hospitals over fears for patient safety at the special-measures trust.
Unite has criticised the top management at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) – which it accused of being more worried about the colour of staff’s hair than the understaffing across wards in some hospitals – and called on NHS Improvement (NHSI) and the CQC to intervene.
Yesterday, Unite staff side committee and other staff side unions passed the vote of no confidence in bosses at the trust, which encompasses Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and County Hospital in Louth.
The letter, sent to interim trust chair Elaine Baylis, stated: “These issues we now believe are so significant that there is now an irretrievable breakdown in partnership working and the staff side committee has no confidence with their trust board.”
In April 2017 the CQC found that care services at the trust were inadequate and inspectors placed it into special measures in an attempt to save standards from falling any further.
The recommendation came weeks after the last Keogh Review trust – which saw 11 trusts placed in special measures by Sir Bruce Keogh in 2013 – was taken out of special measures.
But ULHT joined another Keogh review trust, North Lincolnshire, in special measures last year and was further criticised in September by the CQC over its sluggish pace of improvement.
Unite’s regional officer Steve Syson described the management as “chaotic” and claimed the trust was running at an estimated deficit of £80m a year.
“But, at the same time, the bosses can find £700,000 to spend on three management roles and engage consultants KPMG for advice on the financial situation, even when the trust is in financial special measures,” Syson argued.
“How many badly-needed NHS frontline staff dealing with direct patient care would this princely sum have paid for?
“Instead of tackling the vital issues, such as understaffing in the wards at the hospitals and excessive use of agency staff identified in the CQC report, we have a petty HR regime, masterminded by the HR department, that seems more concerned about the colour of socks employees wear than dealing with staff grievances and concerns raised in relation to patient safety and frontline staff shortages.
“The staff side unions have passed a motion of ‘no confidence’ in the trust’s board, as we fear patient safety could be jeopardised.”
Image credit - J.Hannan-Briggs