A UNION claims morale at Poole Hospital has been damaged by the consortium set up to look at pay and conditions for NHS workers.

Georgina Cawley, area organiser with Unison, told a hospital board meeting that the prospect of being expected to work longer hours, losing leave and receiving a pay cut had been “devastating”.

A recent staff survey, completed by 51 per cent of trust employees, showed that 40 per cent of respondents had suffered work-related stress and 70 per cent were working extra hours.

“We cannot get away from the fact that with staff costs representing 65 per cent of the total budget for most trusts, any cost reduction programme will impact on staff, but there is also an impact on patients,” she warned.

The consortium, chaired by Poole Hospital chief executive Chris Bown, started off with 20 member trusts, but the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust quit last November and others followed.

Following the recent national pay settlement, the remaining trust boards are considering the consortium's final report and recommendations, which do not include any move towards local or regional pay.

Instead, the report urges promoting “optimisation” of existing pay, terms and conditions, which could include measures such as tightening up sickness absence, outsourcing back office services and linking pay rises to performance.

Poole's board agreed that it would only consider that recommendation if its proposed merger with the Royal Bournemouth did not go ahead. But other recommendations, including some setting out how members could influence future national talks, were approved.

Mike Cracknell, regional organiser for Unison, called the consortium “an absolute sham” and said he would like to find out how the £200,000 put up by the original 20 members had been spent.

A spokesman for Poole Hospital said: “The past year has been one of significant increases in demand for acute and urgent care - here at Poole and throughout the NHS - and our staff are working harder than ever to deliver the quality of care and patient experience that the communities we serve rightly expect from us.

“We take the health and wellbeing of our staff extremely seriously, and work hard to ensure we listen and learn from what our staff tell us.

“The trust board's decision to join the consortium was an acknowledgement of the unprecedented challenges we, and the wider NHS, face.

“The consortium has played a valuable role in ensuring that employers, employees, unions and the public understand the scale of these challenges.”