Subco Plans for Dorset
More than 1,300 NHS estates and facilities staff in Dorset may face worsened working conditions due to plans to transfer them to a new company, SubCo, set up by three local NHS trusts. The affected workers include porters, cleaners, catering staff, and maintenance teams.
The trusts — Dorset HealthCare, Dorset County Hospital, and University Hospitals Dorset — say SubCo will be wholly owned by them and that staff will retain their NHS pay, conditions, and pensions. However, UNISON warns that the move could threaten workers’ job security, pensions, and benefits in the long run, effectively creating a "two-tier workforce" and undermining government promises to bring outsourced staff back into the NHS.
Staff have reported poor communication, lack of union consultation, and concerns about being asked to sign new contracts. They fear future changes to sick pay, holiday entitlement, and pension contributions. Some see the plan as privatisation in disguise, aimed at saving money, including on VAT.
The trusts insist the move is about improving efficiency and ensuring sustainability, promising to work with staff and unions to ease concerns.
Jennifer Mulcahey