Fears over NHS management switch

Unions have raised concerns about a planned shake up of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT).

PCT managers are considering setting up a community interest company (CIC), outside the NHS, to manage most of its 2,400 staff.

The move affects 14 community hospitals, district and school nurses and speech and language therapists.

The PCT says patients and staff have nothing to worry about.

Cornwall PCT and other PCTs have been told by the government they must offload staff management by 1 April 2011.

The aim is to separate responsibilities for commissioning and providing services, which the government says will make the NHS more efficient.

PCTs themselves are being phased out from April 2013, with responsibilities handed to GPs.

The Cornwall PCT is considering creating a CIC to take on the responsibility of staff management.

The number of CICs has grown to more than 4,000 since they were introduced by the Labour government in 2005.

They are social enterprise companies, which means profits are reinvested in the business or in the community rather than shareholders and owners.

But Chris Dayus from Unison said the change was part of a move to “demolish the NHS as we know it” and staff were concerned about the long-term prospects for pay and conditions.

“We are opposed to moving services outside the NHS,” she said.

“It is fragmenting the NHS.”

PCT chief executive Steve Moore said the PCT had “good constructive relations” with unions and upholding pay and conditions was “key”.

“All the current terms and conditions for staff transferring will stay the same,” he said.

“We already get a lot of services from independent sector like the GP out of hours services so this is not a new concept.

“Patients will see no difference.

“It is just a change in managerial arrangements in the background.”

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