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NHS Lanarkshire has reached an agreement in principle with the private financial initiative provider Summit Healthcare Limited and the current support service contractor Serco Group PLC to bring a range of contracted support services at University Hospital Wishaw back in-house.
Services to be transferred from Serco to NHS Lanarkshire later this year for an agreed level of compensation include catering, cleaning, portering, patient laundry, switchboard and security.
Serco will however continue to deliver building maintenance services at the hospital.
Colin Lauder, NHS Lanarkshire Director of Planning, Property and Performance, said: “We are delighted to announce that these services will be provided by an in-house team at University Hospital Wishaw.
“This is part of our long-term strategic aim and NHS Lanarkshire’s board commitment to bring staff providing these service back in-house as part of our strategic aim. To have these services delivered by directly employed staff is in line with the Scottish Government policy since 2008 to seek to provide services in-house where the opportunity exists to do so.
“The approximately 400 existing staff who deliver these essential support services will transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) to direct employment with NHS Lanarkshire.
“NHS Lanarkshire, Summit and Serco will now work through the legal and operational process of implementing the TUPE transfer to ensure that the employment rights of all staff affected are protected.
“Consultation with staff affected and their trade union representatives will begin immediately, though the transfer process is likely to take until the autumn to complete.
“NHS Lanarkshire would like stress that this transfer of responsibility is not a reflection on the quality of the patient-focused service provided by Serco over the past 22 years and, in particular, the last two years of the pandemic and wish to thank both Summit and Serco for their active participation in this process.”
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