Campaign plans on NHS overhaul on hold

Plans for a high profile campaign aimed at preventing a big part of the NHS in Shropshire being "privatised" have been put on hold after the Government announced a radical overhaul of the health service.

Members of trade unions and professional associations are strongly opposed to a move to let a social enterprise run services like Shropshire's four community hospitals but will now "wait and see" what next week's Government's White Paper says.

It is believed the paper could include the option of handing over services to a community foundation trust which would remain part of the NHS.

Both Shropshire County Primary Care Trust and NHS Telford and Wrekin favour the option of off-loading services to a social enterprise.

But many staff fear such a change could lead to a lowering of standards of patient care.

They also fear that existing terms and conditions of employment might be affected, with only short-term contracts offered to them.

In a ballot of the 1,200 staff of the Shropshire County PCT, 87 per cent voted against a social enterprise model which would manage not only the community hospitals at Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Bishop's Castle, but also health visiting, district nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

However the coalition Government is now planning to hand GPs responsibility for overseeing front-line care.

About £80 billion will be distributed to family doctors in a move that will see strategic health authorities and primary care trusts scrapped.

Details will be revealed in the White Paper.

Lynne Weaver, of the Unite union, and who is the chairman of the staff side at Shropshire County PCT, said the ballot had been a clear message to management "to think again".

A high profile campaign which was designed to include public meetings and public awareness raising events had been put on hold pending publication of the White Paper which could change the options available.

If there was another option available that meant community services could remain within the NHS and it was something that staff could support, then the trade unions and professional associations would want to play a pivotal role in pushing forward with an alternative.

But she warned that if there was no change in the management's position and the trust's board continued to pursue the social enterprise option, despite the staff's rejection, the campaign would be stepped up.