Trust AGM: Staff Challenge SubCo Plans, Management on the Defensive

On Monday, UNISON members lobbied Dorset County Hospital’s Annual General Meeting, making sure the voices of staff were heard loud and clear.

Outside, members held banners and placards demanding “No to SubCo” and calling for NHS staff to remain directly employed in the NHS. Inside, activists challenged senior managers on key issues:

• £13 million surplus: DCH finished last year with a healthy surplus, so why the rush to create a risky SubCo?
• No profit plan: When asked how the SubCo could make a profit without cutting staff terms and conditions, finance director Chris Hearn was unable to answer.
• Shared care ≠ SubCo: The Trust’s presentation spoke about “shared care” and joint procurement, which is not the same as setting up a SubCo. Staff made sure that distinction was clear.
• The wobble: Asked about evidence from the Health Service Journal that 16 out of 17 NHS SubCos abandoned Agenda for Change terms, Nichola Plumb replied: “We haven’t made a final decision about SubCo.” That’s a very different message from the Trust’s earlier claims that the SubCo was inevitable.

The meeting showed that pressure works. Management were defensive, vague, and on the back foot — because staff are organised and speaking with one voice.

Now is the time to keep pushing. Ballot papers are out, the campaign is growing, and the message is clear: Say NO to SubCo. Keep NHS staff in the NHS.