Trust chief's comments an insult to workers at county hospitals
UNISON members are outraged by comments made by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust deputy chief executive Dawne Bloodworth in the Echo of January 24.
Staff working at Lincolnshire Hospitals have contacted Unison as they are unhappy with Dawne's statement that if the trust doesn't achieve foundation status then it will be seen as a failing organisation.
Unison members view this as an offensive insult to staff as they believe they are working very hard to deliver a high standard of patient care, and these detremental comments make staff feel their contribution has little value.
There has been a lot of ill-founded rumour about the trust being taken over by another should it not be successful in achieving foundation status. This is an unsupported statement as Unison can demonstrate there is no evidence this is a likely outcome. In fact, Unison is aware of other trusts in the East Midlands which have developed more successfully as a result of not achieving foundation status in 2008.
Unison is seriously concerned that the Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee believes the bid for foundation status to be a "fait accompli".
A public consultation needs to be meaningful and the trust must be driven by the needs of patients which can only be achieved by listening to the concerns of the staff.
Unison believes foundation trusts will lead to increased inequalities between NHS services and the extension of charging.
We reject the Government's argument that they are needed to increase local accountability and consider their governance arrangements to be flawed.
ADRIAN MORGAN Area organiser, Unison
2 Comments
by Paul Nixon, Lincolnshire Socialist Party, West End, Lincoln
Friday, February 06 2009, 6:36PM
“UNISON members might ask Adrian Morgan why so much UNISON money is wasted on supporting New Labour, a political party which pushes for more foundation hospitals and further cuts and privatisation in the NHS. It's time that the trade unions broke with the bosses' party New Labour and called a conference to begin the setting up of a new party that stands up for labour in deeds, not just words.”
by Lincoln Micro Supporter, Lincoln
Thursday, February 05 2009, 1:36PM
“This episode is very similar to the Chairman of ULHT, David Bowles, saying that when Lincoln Microbiology closes, the work will go to a better lab. A massive slap in the face to the staff who currently work at Lincoln giving a fantastic service and to past workers at the lab which has served the Lincoln County for 60 years.
Staff are the most valuable asset of any organisation. It's about time that ULHT woke up to this fact. Mr Bowles, we still await your apology.”