Zarah ChoudharyDozens of infection control workers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital are set to strike later this month after bosses refused to recognise their frontline work and provide them with appropriate facilities.
The team who perform ‘ultra cleans’ in the infectious disease areas of the hospital, have reported issues including the absence of an adequate rest area at Guy’s Hospital, rest facilities at St Thomas’ without ventilation, senior ‘soft service’ employees having access to better facilities, limited engagement with Unite regarding the use of certain chemicals, and the continued use of bank staff instead of hiring additional permanent employees.
Workers will strike for five days from 24th February 2025.
Given the work the rapid response teams undertake, the union warned that highly infectious sections, rooms or wards might not be available, due to specialised cleaning not taking place.
However, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that all cleaning shifts will be covered for the duration of the industrial action, and that the rest rooms at both hospitals are available for all Rapid Response team operatives.
In addition, the trust said it was investing in upgrading the rest facilities at Guy’s Hospital with a new Kitchen and furniture.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “During COVID, the rapid response team were the frontline defence against outbreaks and are trained to be the first responders against the spread of other infectious diseases.
“These are some of the most valuable workers in the NHS doing unseen work to keep patients and other staff safe.
“They work in dangerous, infectious areas of the hospital and provide a cleaning service to keep disease outbreaks under control.
“Yet they are being treated with disdain by the trust.
“For these workers to not be able to clean themselves properly after finishing work or to have humane conditions to rest in is a disgrace.”
Tabusam Ahmed, regional officer at Unite, said: “Previous strikes at the hospital by the rapid response team were called off to allow talks to take place.
“The lack of any meaningful progress has now led to Unite calling new strike dates. Our members are rightly furious about the situation they’ve found themselves in.
“Working all times of day and night in dangerous and unpleasant environments to keep hospitals clean and safe of the most infectious and contagious diseases.
“And yet they are told they aren’t valued and that they cannot have access to rest facilities of a decent standard. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “We want all our staff to feel supported at work which is why we have been working hard for many weeks to bring an end to this dispute with our rapid response cleaners.
“We have listened to their concerns and made several changes to address them.
“It is regrettable that Unite are determined to press ahead with this industrial action despite the progress we have made together.
“We have robust contingency plans in place to mitigate the action and ensure services remain unaffected.
“We remain committed to working with our staff to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.”
