UNISON has announced that healthcare support workers will be taking part in local industrial action at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, from 7.30am on Monday 11 March until 7.30am on Wednesday 13 March, in a dispute relating to retrospective re-banding. This will have an impact on the delivery of our hospitals services.
Patient appointments will not be cancelled and those with an appointment or procedure on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 March should attend as normal, unless told otherwise.
There may be delays during outpatient clinics, however, please bear with our staff who are working incredibly hard to ensure patients are cared for.
Both our inpatients and outpatients may receive care from different clinical members of staff throughout the strike period, however all staff are trained and committed to providing the highest level of care.
If you would like to expand your visiting time to a loved one/relative during the healthcare support worker strike action, please speak to the nurse in charge.
Please note, not all our wards will be able to facilitate this but will do their best to accommodate where possible.
During this time, please help us by using our services wisely and taking simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and only attending our Emergency Department if it is a life-threatening emergency.
Community services like pharmacies and GPs will also continue to provide expert advice and support.
The Trust continues to value the vital contribution of our healthcare support workers and are aware of the national issues raised around the pay bands of these roles.
We are in agreement and fully supportive of the re-banding of these roles continue to be in active discussions with Unison and our staff about this matter, and remain committed to bringing this matter to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.