Estates & Facilities Day: Cake, Raffles… and a Big Distraction?

This week, Dorset County Hospital hosted its annual Estates and Facilities Day. A chance to recognise the hard work of staff across portering, catering, cleaning, security, transport and estates.

Staff were treated to cake, entered into a raffle, and even greeted by a pair of alpacas, brought in to bring a smile to people’s faces during a busy week.

While many appreciated the chance to pause and enjoy something light-hearted, for others the event came at a difficult time. With over 1,600 staff across Dorset Trusts facing transfer into a new NHS-owned subsidiary company (SubCo), the day raised deeper questions for some:

• Are these treats a form of appreciation — or a distraction from bigger decisions being made about our future?
• Why are management celebrating us on one hand, while proposing to remove us from direct NHS employment with the other?

UNISON and other union members continue to raise serious concerns about the SubCo model — including pension guarantees, job mobility, and long-term erosion of NHS terms.

Recognition events are important — but so is honest, transparent engagement with the staff who keep these services running.