Healthcare workers in Swindon set to strike

Healthcare workers employed by HCRG Care Services in Swindon, Bath, and Chippenham will walk out for 24 hours on Wednesday 21 October.

The UNISON union says the dispute centres on staffing levels, excessive workloads and the company’s refusal to recognise the union.

Staff providing community healthcare services say severe staffing shortages and growing workloads are putting patients at risk and leaving employees struggling to cope.

The union says overstretched staff are struggling to provide the support patients need, while high levels of workplace stress and sickness absence are placing further pressure on services.

UNISON says changes to the way patients access community healthcare have added to the problems.

The company insists it is grateful for workers' efforts under the new system, recognises the challlenges and has responded to feedback.

HCRG, the union says, has replaced separate telephone numbers for different services with a single line, leaving staff struggling to manage demand.

Workers want HCRG to address unsafe staffing levels, reduce excessive workloads and formally recognise UNISON so they can raise concerns and negotiate improvements.

UNISON South West regional secretary Tim Roberts said: “These are dedicated healthcare workers who want to provide safe, high-quality care, but they're being pushed beyond their limits.

“Staff are deeply worried about vulnerable patients being left without the support they need. Impossible workloads and staffing shortages are putting enormous pressure on services.

“HCRG must address these concerns and recognise UNISON, so staff have a proper voice in improving services. Strike action is never a decision healthcare workers take lightly, but they feel they've been left with no other option.”

An HCRG Care Group spokesperson said: “We have planned for the strike action announced by UNISON, which involves colleagues working within our Single Point of Access service, including administrative, call-handling and clinical triage staff.

"We have robust contingency plans in place and do not anticipate any disruption to patients’ clinical care or treatment.

“Patients should attend appointments as normal and continue to use the usual contact numbers.

"They may experience slightly longer telephone waiting times, although we expect these to remain within our required performance standards. They may also be greeted by different colleagues when attending appointments, but will still be seen by their usual clinicians.

"They could also encounter picket lines at Chippenham Hospital, St Martin’s Hospital and The Orbital.

“We recognise and respect our colleagues’ right to take industrial action. Strikes are intended to cause disruption, but in healthcare we have a particular responsibility to protect patients from their effects.

“We also recognise the challenges colleagues have experienced since the introduction of the Single Point of Access service and appreciate how hard they have worked to establish it and improve its performance in a relatively short time.

"We have made significant improvements in response to colleague feedback, including recruitment for 18.5 additional full-time equivalent Community Health Navigator posts. Staffing in both our Community Health Navigator and clinical triage teams is now at the level required for the service. We have cleared the referral backlog and reduced average telephone waiting times to around three minutes.

“We recognise that some systems and processes, particularly in clinical triage, need further improvement to reduce the pressure on colleagues. We are already making changes, including introducing digital tools to streamline processes and reduce administrative workloads.

"We are also continuing recruitment into our administration and reception teams and remain committed to constructive discussions with all our colleagues.

“Our priority throughout is straightforward: patient care comes first.”