Outsourced NHS workers – time to end them being the poor relatives of the NHS families
New study of tests for the spread of the virus shows outsourced staff had sky high levels of antibodies from having been infected - much higher than front line staff
Any savings from outsourcing are tiny compared to the costs to society of the current arrangements which financially and in public health terms are prohibitive, says GMB London.
Sir John Bell, who oversees the Government's antibody testing programme, said domiciliary workers in some hospitals were found to have "sky-high" levels of antibodies compared to doctors and nurses who treated patients in intensive care.
Commenting on the article published in the Telegraph, published on Saturday 4 July 2020: ‘NHS cleaners and porters were coronavirus 'super-spreaders' in hospitals, data reveal.’
Gavin Davies, GMB London Region Senior Organiser said:
“This is no surprise, often we find that outsourced workers in the hospitals are treated as the poor relatives in the NHS families, many of whom have a shortage of PPE, They are also the unsung heroes, traveling from ward to ward. It is time that some real investment takes place to ensure these workers are protected. It is also worth noting that many of these workers have the worst terms and conditions many of whom are forced to come to work when others would isolate”.
These findings make the case that outsourcing these vital services is a very expensive mistake for society as a whole. It is essential that in future these staff are directly employed and under the full operational control of NHS decision makers. The savings from outsourcing are tiny compared to the costs to society of the current arrangements which financially and in public health terms are prohibitive. Outsourcing must be ended without delay”
GMB London Region is calling for real investment to protect these workers and ensure safety measures are put in place, one death is one too many.
End
Contact:
Gavin Davies, GMB London Region Senior Organiser 079 3098 3376
GMB London Region Press Office 079 7001 9643
Notes to editors:
Article by Bill Gardner, Published in the Telegraph, 4 July 2020
NHS cleaners and porters were coronavirus 'super-spreaders' in hospitals, data reveal
Domiciliary workers in some hospitals found to have 'sky-high' levels of antibodies compared to intensive care doctors
Cleaners, porters and office staff working for the NHS were "super-spreaders" of coronavirus within hospitals, according to initial results from a national screening drive.
Sir John Bell, who oversees the Government's antibody testing programme, said domiciliary workers in some hospitals were found to have "sky-high" levels of antibodies compared to doctors and nurses who treated patients in intensive care.
The discovery has prompted health bosses to examine how lower-paid workers can be better protected from the virus in the event of a second coronavirus wave, he said. It comes amid growing suspicion that a large proportion of virus cases were spread by medical workers rather than in the community.
In May, the Government asked NHS health chiefs to test staff for coronavirus antibodies in their blood in order to map the spread of disease in hospitals.
Sir John told The Telegraph he had seen "surprising" initial figures suggesting that the main vectors of the virus were not necessarily front line medics on intensive care wards but porters, cleaners and backroom office staff.
Most of the people with sky-high antibody levels are domiciliary workers rather than front line workers in intensive care," he said.
"If you think about it, these were the people moving around the hospital. They were in 50 different 'bubbles', if you like, but the people in the ITU live in a single 'bubble'. They arrive at work, they're in a 'bubble' all day long.
"It's the same people, the same patients – whereas the porters and the refuse cleaners see many more people."
Sir John said the serology studies were now being used by hospitals to help better prepare for a potential second spike in the winter. "The hospitals are now using that information to make sure PPE and social distancing can be prioritised towards these types of workers if a second wave comes along," he added.
According to one Whitehall source, however, frustration is growing among ministers over delays in collecting crucial data from individual NHS trusts in order to build up a national picture.
"Given this is about protecting NHS staff, you would think the results would come through a bit quicker," the source said. "It's not their finest hour, frankly."
In May, NHS England said a fifth of patients with Covid-19 in some hospitals were thought to have contracted the disease while already being treated there for other illnesses. Some of the infections were passed on by hospital staff unaware they had the virus and displaying no symptoms, health bosses said.
During the pandemic, three cleaners from the same south London hospital died after contracting coronavirus. Salih Hasan and Fyngs Mullings both worked for private cleaning giant Mitie at St George's Hospital in Tooting, while the death of a third, unnamed, cleaner at the hospital was also believed to be related to the virus.
Meanwhile, ONS data released last month showed that doctors and nurses did not have higher rates of death involving Covid-19 compared to the rate among the wider population of the same age and sex.
People working in elementary jobs faced the greatest risk. Of those, there were more security guard deaths than in any other profession at 74.0 per 100,000, or 104 deaths. The data showed that, compared with the wider rate among people of the same sex, those working in the lowest-skilled occupations had the highest rate of death.
"These data are already prompting hospitals to think differently about who might be most at risk from coronavirus," Sir John said. "We mustn't forget about valued NHS staff just because they're not on the front line."
