Hospitals say outsourcing on agenda

THE DUBLIN Academic Teaching Hospitals have said the the option of outsourcing part of their services has to be on the agenda for reducing costs in the future.

A spokesman for the hospitals confirmed that the umbrella organisation, which includes large Dublin hospitals such as Beaumont, St Vincent’s, St James’s and Tallaght, had been in discussions about a potential consultancy report on savings which could be generated from outsourcing. However, he said that the project did not go ahead.

The spokesman said the issue of outsourcing would have to be looked at as part of the overall national agenda of achieving value for money.

He said hospitals had already outsourced some services such as cleaning and security in some cases.

Trade union Siptu has raised the issue of potential outsourcing as one of the reasons behind its planned 48-hour strike involving about 4,000 support staff in seven Dublin hospitals scheduled for next month.

Siptu’s health sector organiser Paul Bell said the union feared for the job security of its members in hospitals.

The Irish Times understands that late last year the Dublin teaching hospitals group had been engaged in discussions with a company known as Zehnacker Ireland regarding a possible contract for the analysis of “facility management services”.

Correspondence sent by the company to chairman of the hospitals group Liam Duffy of Beaumont Hospital said it could review the situation in the hospitals.

Among the areas the company suggested could be analysed, as part of the project were: cleaning, including operating theatre cleaning and deep cleansing as a consequence of MRSA, catering including the production kitchen, scullery services, ward services and staff canteens and logistics, including porter services and patient transport.

The contract for the teaching hospitals’ study had been quoted at €200,000.

Separately, Siptu has said it had not signed up to a radical draft reform programme for the health services agreed by health service management and other unions during failed talks.

The negotiations centred on a modernisation plan for the public service which would have avoided the need for pay cuts.

Included in these proposed reforms were the introduction of an extended working day, running from 8 am to 8 pm as well as provision to roster staff on any five out of seven days.

Mr Bell said the union had concerns how this could affect members’ earnings, an issue that was unknown in December. He said Siptu had members in some Dublin hospitals who had contractual overtime arrangements and that there had also been no agreement reached in December on the issue of job security.

Mr Bell said Siptu believed more staff rather than less could be needed to operate the new reforms in some instances.

Unions and management held their first meeting on Tuesday as part of the new talks on terms and conditions.

At the negotiations the parties considered the December reform document.

They also reviewed the Government’s moratorium on recruitment, plans by the HSE to close 1,100 beds and unimplemented agreements.

Unions and health service management are to meet again on Friday.