GOSH statement on our Domestic Services Team

10 Mar 2022, 4:20 p.m.

In August 2021, domestic services at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) were brought in house after a number of years in which the service was contracted to the private sector. The Trust decided this was the best way to secure a high-quality service for the future and a clean, welcoming hospital environment that’s safe from infection.

Since then, members of the domestic services team have been employed directly by GOSH. We’ve been working hard to align every element of their terms and conditions with staff elsewhere in the Trust while making sure no one loses out. Already, our domestic services colleagues have the same sick pay, maternity pay, holiday pay and access to the NHS pension scheme as other staff. They have also received a 3% pay rise, with the lowest paid receiving an extra 4%. Today, we are able to confirm that 68% of our domestic services colleagues will be given the opportunity to transfer to full NHS Agenda for Change conditions on 1 April 2022. The rest of the staff, whose previous terms and conditions will take longer to unpick, will be offered the opportunity to transfer in phases by the end of this year.

Mat Shaw, Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“I’m delighted that every one of our domestic services colleagues will have the opportunity to be on full Agenda for Change terms and conditions by the end of the year. The large majority of that team will be given the option to fully transfer well before then, on 1 April. This transfer is a complicated process that has to be done properly so that no-one loses out. I’d like to thank our recognised trade union colleagues, at Unite and Unison, who have helped and challenged us over the last few months as we’ve worked on this transition. And I’d like to thank our domestic services team for their hard work and commitment.”

Domestic service colleagues will have access to all the benefits received by other NHS staff, as well as wellbeing support available to GOSH employees.

The terms and conditions that will be harmonised this year include:

  • Agenda for Change Pay structure
  • Unsocial hours pay
  • Minimum periods of notice
  • Redundancy pay
  • Injury allowance

See our previous statement on our Domestic Services Team published on 27 January 2022.

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