Session Recording
Corporate Services
Q: How is the 1st wave of transfer integration of Corp Services going ? Any feedback good or bad ?
A: We are progressing well for People and OD. We have a TU meeting today and a Teams meeting with all POD teams later today where we'll be sharing the timeline for consultation and implementation. We have a draft target operating model (TOM) and numerous workstreams are meeting this month to determine the future structures. It is a tight timeline to follow but we are doing all we can to deliver in Q3.
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Q: Hearing rumours about a delay in the corporate TUPE process, does this mean there's a more likely chance of redundancies?
A: We are currently planning the dates for each corporate team to TUPE across to LUHFT. People and OD will go first which is expected in Q3. Prior to TUPE transfer, we will carry out a readiness assessment, which will determine whether we are ready with the new model planning. This process will determine whether or not there is any delay to TUPE for each service. This should not impact the likelihood of redundancies.
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Finance/Cleaning
Q: Can we look at restrictive spend turnaround times. PO numbers are taking at least a month to come through. I understand we are under financial pressures but does the system you have put in place have to be so ineffective?
A: Thank you for raising this. We will look into this as it’s not our intention to hold back PO numbers for essential care – Rob.
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Q: It really is concerning that we are in such financial dire straits that we can't even afford to keep parts of the hospital clean. Understand patient care is paramount but staff in non-clinical areas have a right to work in a clean environment? Surely there must be other ways we can reduce spend other than cutting an essential service such as cleaning?!
A: If you have any good ideas for saving money, there is a generic email to send ideas to, which is managed by the transformation team. It is called savingtogether
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Q: Do you expect staff sickness to increase with lack of cleaning in staff areas?
A: If staff take responsibility for keeping their areas tidy and empty office bins as asked, and toilets and kitchens are cleaned daily as suggested, then no, we don't expect to see a rise in sickness absence.
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Q: Some work areas have become an environmental hazard due to the withdrawal of cleaning services. CSC has patients using the ground floor corridor and the toilets are appalling we have had complaints from service users and staff.
A: If you could escalate this to Domestic Services or log a job via 8888 as they arise, we will investigate with Domestic Services and our team within Health & Safety to understand how environmental hazards are happening. Thanks, Alison
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Q: There is one person working in reprographics, Kathryn works tirelessly and is always helpful but she has a huge workload. Sending colour jobs to repro will mean all our leaflets will take a long time to be ready so we will be putting bigger jobs through?
A: Hi, thanks for your question. We have a team in Reprographics and will be monitoring the situation as the new rules come into place.
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Q: We've been told for the last few weeks that we would be getting "cleaning packs" to support us in being able to clean our own areas, but these are yet to be delivered. I'm not sure how we are meant to keep our areas clean without any supplies
A: Cleaning packs should be in all locations by the end of the week, we are awaiting a few deliveries. In the event that they don’t arrive, please escalate to the team on your site, as detailed in the slide today. Thanks, Alison
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Q: As just mentioned Rob, cleaning packs are not available on all floors in the Edwards Building and this should have been actioned before the changes. I agree with the post at 12;05
A: There are normally basic cleaning items within our buildings but the cleaning packs should be in all locations by the end of the week, we are awaiting a few deliveries. In the event that they don't arrive, please escalate to the team on your site, as detailed in the slide today. Thanks, Alison
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Q: Our cleaner (Jean) has been moved from Edwards to 9th floor that’s still not clinical so why move her away?
A: It is lovely that our Domestics are so valued and missed. It does mean a lot to the individual and wider impact; however, it is usual for us to flex staff from location to location. This is operational practice. Whilst it may not appear to be reasonable to you, it will have been appropriate at the time. Thanks, Alison
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Q: Has the discretionary spend panel process been risk assessed? If so, can it be shared? Where do we find out what defines discretionary spend so we know what is in scope
A: The Terms of Reference are just being finalised. I understand that these will be clear and will support us all with understanding what is discretionary and what we need to do to get the POs through the panel. I represent E&F on the panel, attended the first one this week. We shared our thoughts and these are being considered to smooth the process - this will help with the PO delay mentioned earlier too. I would advise staff now to use the 'justification' box on oracle to speed up the process from now. I hope this helps, response based on my knowledge! Thanks, Alison
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Recruitment
Q: There's been a lot of changes with regards to Skilled Worker Visa. Could we have a staff brief to understand how these changes affect existing/prospective visa holders at UHLG, please?
A: We can do this yes, however, if you believe you are impacted now, please reach out to the recruitment team to confirm your position.
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Q: Can you confirm there is no financial vacancy controls on nursing for outpatients please. This is not what we are experiencing. Thanks
A: There are no overall 'stops' in recruiting frontline clinical staff (so this would include nursing staff within OPD). However, I'm not sure if there are any reviews taking place in specific outpatient services - if there are, this may put a delay in the recruitment process (so that the correct workforce is within the establishment). All posts will still need to be agreed by the Hospital Leadership Team. If you have some specific questions about your service, please make a direct contact with your site Director of Nursing for further information. Thank you.
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Q: Are there restrictions on nursing vacancies, as we have vacancies that have still not been approved by the Trust since May 2025. With further vacancies coming through, it will now start to impact on the services in Outpatients. Please could you confirm?
A: There are no overall 'stops' in recruiting frontline clinical staff (so this would include nursing staff within OPD). However, I'm not sure if there are any reviews taking place in specific outpatient services - if there are, this may put a delay in the recruitment process (so that the correct workforce is within the establishment). All posts will still need to be agreed by the Hospital Leadership Team. If you have some specific questions about your service, please make a direct contact with your site Director of Nursing for further information. Thank you
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Q: Will MARS be offered again, and will it be refused as most request were! Surely 'At risk' staff can be slotted in to posts where MARS has been approved - is this not a saving?
A: We are currently working up a paper to apply for a further MARs scheme for UHLG. We are also looking to align this to other LAASP trusts. If we are granted permission by NHSE to implement the MARS, it is likely to be open again in October or November for 3 months. Yes, if someone vacates a post on MARS, we can use that post to fill with an at risk member of staff if appropriate.
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Q: The 'in house' model of soft FM / Hard Fm is clearly being beneficial and the correct thing to do both morally and financially in not allowing private sector profit to continue to take revenue away from frontline services. Will all services be coming 'in' and following this model at all future LAASP partner sites due to join up with the group excepting that existing contracts would have to be concluded or agreements made to exit early.
A: As other organisations join the group, a due diligence exercise will be completed for any services that could potentially be brought in house. That exercise will review a lot of things, and importantly the length/success of the existing contract. Thanks, Alison
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LAASP
Q: Are IT and digital in phase 2 for integration with LAASP partners? what does this mean for timelines and when can we expect to go into formal consultation?
A: IT and Digital are in phase 2 which will be Q4 (Jan–March 2026). There has already been a lot of work done with teams across LAASP to determine new structures, so I would expect a timeline of when consultation will happen will be shared with teams within the coming months.
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Q: Appreciate that there will be more information to follow, but can we provide an outline of timescales for each of the 4 groups? Staff are currently interpreting the information provided differently and worried why they haven't been approached by their SRO about a workshop. Expected timescales for each group may help manage expectations
A: We can do this yes. I would expect that there will be a further bespoke corporate services brief which could set this out, but we will feed this back to the Corporate Services Project team to ensure further comms and updates gets out to people.
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Q: Could we have a simplified and clear version of what is happening with corporate services. People are becoming anxious and worried, not knowing what is happening within the next year, where they will be, are they relocating etc and what corporate services will look like. The easier option being - looking for new jobs, which is sad when people enjoy their jobs.
A: Yes, we can do this, I'm sure. We will feed this back to the corporate services project team and comms leads.
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Q: We were told no redundancies but have heard people have already been made At Risk as a result of LAASP. In time of a vacancy freeze when alt roles are very limited - is this not just disguised redundancy. People very concerned about job security.
A: Where there is an organisational or service change and roles change, the change management policy is applied and where appropriate, people are placed at risk. This is to determine who is eligible to apply or be slotted in to the new posts. We are continuing to strive for no redundancies as we are creating new and different roles as part of the corporate services review. As we have held so many corporate vacancies, we hope that no one is made redundant through this process.
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Q: If jobs are at risk, can you be honest and tell us sooner rather than later as the majority of us rely on this job to live with the commitments outside of working lives and this is the anxiety we are living with right now - the unknown is what it feels like.
A: Where people become at risk, we will manage this in accordance with the Change Management Policy, which requires consultation at the earliest opportunity.
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Parking
Q: Disabled parking at the Royal for eligible staff is becoming more problematic, with non-eligible staff using these spaces with no regard to their colleagues who need these spaces. I appreciate you say it’s a large area to cover but that is just not good enough
A: Yes, this is frustrating and is unacceptable practice for any driver to park in a blue bay without a blue badge. Unfortunately car parking bad practice continues and it is often our own staff as you have stated. We will ask the car parking team to continue to monitor this and issue parking charge notices. Similarly, we would ask all staff to park in line with the terms and conditions as you would on public roads. Thanks, Alison
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Estates and Facilities
Q: Another issue we are still having at the Edwards Building is the doors not working when it's been raining. This has been going on for two years now with no solution provided. I got trapped in the doors on Monday and hurt my arm - who can I escalate this to? It won't be long before someone is seriously hurt.
A: Please log a job via 8888. Thanks, Alison