NHS staff ballot ‘barely democratic’ (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

NHS staff ballot ‘barely democratic’

September 27, 2011 12:20 PM

CHELTENHAM MP Martin Horwood has criticised the local NHS for inadequate and 'barely democratic' staff consultation after details emerged of the election of the staff representative on the board of the new body which will soon be responsible for Gloucestershire's community hospitals, community nurses, therapists and health visitors. These 'provider' services are due to be hived off from the primary care trust, NHS Gloucestershire, which will then be restricted to buying or 'commissioning' health services and hospital care across Gloucestershire from the NHS budget. A new 'social enterprise' called Gloucestershire Care Services is due to be created on 1 October, complete with its own board and one penny shares issued to all staff. But Martin has criticised the extent of genuine staff involvement in the set-up of the new body, which is also being subjected to a legal challenge by health campaigners elsewhere in the county.

Martin has now discovered a ballot paper for the non-exec director post which will represent staff on the new GCS board. It gave no names but offered staff a choice of two pre-selected candidates called only 'Candidate 1' and 'Candidate 2' . Anonymised CVs were attached with the ballot paper. The ballot was not secret as text on the ballot paper reveals that some staff had to fill in the form 'as a team' and were asked to use the 'five bar gate method of indicating the preference of team members'. Initially voting preferences were also recorded electronically, revealing staff member's votes although this was stopped during the vote.

Martin, who is vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on employee ownership, commented: 'This is just not democratic voting as we know it. I've never seen anything like it in any other election, and certainly not in any other mutual, co-operative or employee-owned company. Imagine if people only got to choose from pre-selected candidates at a general election and then weren't even told their names and then had to fill in the ballot paper in public. We'd dismiss it out of hand. Gloucestershire Care Services have a lot to learn if they are to live up to the ideal of a real 'social enterprise' with real support from their own staff. They need to involve them more, consult them properly, elect their representatives democratically and give them a real say in the company