Taken to the cleaners

Private contracts are a bad deal for workers in NHS

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Now Labour is in power, things are looking up for the NHS. We've seen record levels of investment and waiting times fall.

But this progress risks being derailed. The government plans to transfer thousands of low-paid health workers out of the NHS.

Ministers are allowing hospital bosses to set up their own companies to save cash.

Before the election, Labour promised to bring workers on private contracts back into public services. But now they are doing the opposite.

Plans to create a company in Dorset are underway. But more than 1,000 cleaners, porters and caterers at local hospitals say they want to stay in the NHS.

Hospital managers have said there'll be no impact on patients, nor on staff pay, pensions or jobs. But Unison thinks otherwise.