21 October 2005
A union representing NHS managers has called for guarantees that there will be no compulsory redundancies as ambulance trusts, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are reorganised.
Managers in Partnership, set up by Unison and the FDA, said a human resources framework that would guarantee employment and find managers new posts within the NHS was needed urgently.
Ambulance trusts are consulting over potential mergers, while SHAs handed in proposals for the restructuring of PCTs in their areas on October 15.
Under July's 'Commissioning a patient-led NHS' plans, the government will cut SHAs from 28 to nine by April 2007, while the 300 PCTs will be merged to largely mirror local authority boundaries by October 2006. As many as 150 PCTs could go, although some estimates set the figure higher. All PCTs will be required to save 15% of their budgets.
MiP chief executive Jon Restell insisted the changes were being implemented already and would affect the jobs of many senior managers and administrative personnel. His organisation had launched talks with employers' organisations aimed at setting ground rules for the process.
'These include guarantees of no compulsory redundancies, the definition of costs for the 15% target, appointment pools, questions about suitable alternative employment and continuity of service for staff offered work elsewhere in the NHS,' he said.
'We need a national framework to ensure that senior managers and other staff affected by the first stages of “Commissioning a patient-led NHS” are treated fairly, openly and consistently across the country,' he said.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: 'Any staff transferring to a new employer will, of course, be entitled to appropriate legal protection of their terms and conditions of employment.'
She added that a three-month consultation on the new shape of PCTs would begin in December. First, an expert panel, which includes representatives from the NHS, local government and professional groups, will advise ministers on whether the proposals meet a number of criteria.
These include the effective use of resources and how they improve co-ordination with council social services.
PFoct2005
