Sick pay costs rise for Cornwall NHS hospitals private cleaners Mitie

Mitie's contract is worth £90m over seven years for three hospitals in Truro, Penzance and Hayle

Sick pay costs for cleaners at three Cornwall hospitals have reached more than £1m since a private firm took over, it has emerged.

Sick pay cost Mitie £1.2m in its first eight months compared with £280,000 by the NHS in the previous financial year.

Union Unison blamed the rise on staff stress which it claimed had been caused by mistakes on pay.

Mitie said it was looking at sick pay to "make sure that every pound we spend is for the benefit of patients".

The rise was revealed in Mitie consultation papers, seen by the BBC, to reduce the headcount and sick pay of its Cornwall hospitals staff.

Revised terms of employment on sick pay and rosters are outlined in the document and are due to start in October.

Mitie contract

• Started on 1 October 2014

• The contract was awarded by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT)

• It is worth £90m over seven years for three hospitals in Truro, Penzance and Hayle

• Mitie took over 485 staff from NHS

The consultation document said: "We need to reduce our labour costs in order to make the contract financially viable."

It also says sickness pay costs are "not sustainable" and warns of "an overall reduction" in the 485-strong workforce.

Unison said "stress-related absence" had increased after mistakes in staff pay.

Mitie pay

• Staff currently get six months full pay and six months half pay before being paid statutory sick pay

• This could be changed to two months full pay and two months half pay before statutory sick pay under the proposals

Unison spokesman Dave Hope said "The whole thing has been a mess from day one and staff cannot take it any more."

He said cuts would "increase demoralisation".

A Mitie spokesman said: "Our job is to make sure that our services are as efficient as possible, reduce wastage and put as many resources as possible into the front line.

"We are looking at sick pay to make sure that every pound we spend is for the benefit of patients."

The RCHT has yet to responded to requests for a comment.