Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 15 Feb 2010 - 3:00 PST

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The RCN has stepped in to protect the rights of staff to be consulted over changes to how evening and night community nursing services in Derby and southern Derbyshire are provided.

Members working for Derby City Primary Care Trust's provider arm asked the RCN to intervene after learning they might be transferred to a new employer and workplace or even exposed to the risk of redundancy.

The provider arm had failed to consult staff in deciding that it could not deliver an out-of-hours service in Derby alone after the service it provides in neighbouring parts of Derbyshire was decommissioned.

Now the changes have been deferred to allow for proper consultation with staff and unions after the PCT acknowledged its failure to consult.

RCN Regional Director Dr Sheila Marriott said: "At the time this blew up, the sudden and understandably shocking ramifications for staff were that within a matter of barely four weeks they would either be transferred to a new employer or, at worst, become redundant.

"Our challenge was robust and well-founded and has succeeded in bringing about a far more considered assessment of the impact of these changes on nursing staff and patients."

The PCT says it expects all staff affected by the changes to be transferred under TUPE to Derbyshire County PCT or redeployed within Derby City.

Source
Royal College of Nursing

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