'Any job losses will not be tolerated' - Union says proposed 'Patient Service Hub' for Lincolnshire could put about 180 jobs at risk
A transformation programme proposed by the organisation responsible for Lincolnshire’s hospitals must not include redundancies, Unite, the leading UK union, has said today (Wednesday, November 12).
Yesterday, The Standard reported that concern has been raised about the proposed introduction of a ‘Patient Service Hub’ in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group – which covers Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULTH) – says the hub would ‘bring together and modernise outpatient and inpatient administrative services’.
The proposals were brought to the attention of The Standard by a concerned member of the public, who told the paper that a large number of ULTH jobs were at risk due to a shake-up in administration services.
When The Standard approached ULTH for a comment, it provided a statement that did not confirm jobs were at risk, but acknowledged that proposals for a change to the current model were being shared with staff.
Unite has said, though, it understands the proposals would impact almost 650 employees in a range of medical and non-medical roles and could put about 180 jobs at risk.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The trust’s staff have legitimate concerns that the transformation programme is a euphemism for cost-cutting at the expense of staff and patients.
“Any job losses will not be tolerated by Unite. Redundancies would only increase the pressure on overworked staff and negatively impact patient care.”
The trust has started a six-week consultation process with workers at Lincoln, Boston and Grantham hospitals over the proposed plans, which include relocating staff, Unite says.
Unite regional officer Garry Guye said: “Unite will be scrutinising the proposals in detail and offering maximum support to our members.
“Unite will not accept staff being pushed out of their jobs by being told they have to travel unfeasible distances every day to go to work.”
Yesterday, when the Standard asked ULTH about the proposals the trust provided a statement from Caroline Landon, group chief operating officer at Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group.
In the statement, she said: “We have launched a transformation programme that will significantly improve how we coordinate patient care. Our patients told us they are frustrated by the outdated technology currently used to manage patient appointments and timeliness of communications and letters they receive about their care. For example, we rely on 15 different systems and 40 mailboxes to handle patient bookings. Three-quarters of calls to the Outpatient Appointment Service are simply to check, rebook or cancel appointments — tasks that most people would expect to complete online or via an automated system nowadays.
“That’s why we are introducing the Patient Service Hub, which will bring together and modernise outpatient and inpatient administrative services. By using digital tools, we aim to make processes simpler and more consistent.
“At this stage, this remains a proposal. We are consulting and engaging with the colleagues who will be directly affected by the change, to gather their views and involve them in co-designing the new service. As it is still a proposal, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details until we have heard from staff and considered their feedback.”
Asked for more information about the nature of the proposed hub, ULTH said it could not offer more information as the staff consultation would help shape it.
However, a petition against the plans set up on Monday says it involves the use of AI.
It says the proposals threaten the jobs of ‘countless dedicated employees’ and ‘could significantly reduce service quality and compromise patient safety’.
The number of signatures on the petition has now passed 2,600.