Fresh strike action at hospitals as staff walk out

The latest action folllows staff holding various walkouts between 19 and 23 August

Hundreds of cleaners, porters and caterers are set to resume strike action at hospitals in Essex and Suffolk.

Picket lines are planned at Colchester Hospital until Friday and for 48 hours at Ipswich Hospital and Aldeburgh Community Hospital.

It comes amid an increasingly bitter row over East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust's (ESNEFT) plan to outsource jobs.

Adrian Marr, a trust executive, said it was "committed to keeping disruption to services to a minimum" while strikes were staged.

The latest action followed staff holding various walkouts between 19 and 23 August over plans to move their jobs out of the NHS.

A decision on whether to outsource services had not yet been made, trust executive Adrian Marr says

Caroline Hennessy, from the public service union Unison, said the proposal from hospital leaders was "nonsensical".

"ESNEFT facilities staff have consistently made it clear they’d rather be supporting patients than standing on picket lines," she added.

Mr Marr said "much planning" had been undertaken to prepare for the fresh wave of strikes.

A decision on whether to outsource services had not yet been made, he said.

"Our focus is on providing the best possible care for our patients at the time when they need us the most," he added.