HEALTH bosses say they are still “actively exploring” plans to set up a new company which would run cleaning and maintenance services at York Hospital.

But York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust chiefs also moved to allay staff fears, maintaining the plan is a bid to safeguard services and jobs.

The trust wants to set up a limited liability company to run the Estates and Facilities department in a bid to save £1 million.

A letter sent out to staff by Brian Golding, the department’s director, and seen by The Press, revealed chiefs “will continue to plan for an alternate delivery model for Estates and Facilities, which will remain wholly owned by the NHS".

The department has 979 members of staff, including cleaners, porters and maintenance technicians, in Scarborough, Malton and Selby.

Mr Golding adds: “At this stage, no decision has been made about what the new model will look like and how it will work, however we will ensure that any staff moving to the new organisation will be able to keep their current NHS terms and conditions.”

Staff have expressed their concerns about the move and say they are worried their NHS terms and conditions, including pensions and sick pay, will end if a new company employs them, despite the trust owning and running it.

A series of meetings will be held for staff to learn more about the plans, but Mr Golding explained in his letter that the “motive is not to erode terms and conditions for staff, nor to make savings by reducing our pay bill”. He added: “We want to protect our Estates and Facilities services and safeguard jobs for the future, keeping these services within the NHS by creating a company under the control of the trust, rather than outsourcing to a separate private provider.”

In a statement sent to The Press by the hospital trust, Mr Golding added: “Once a new model is agreed, we are committed to making sure that staff are given plenty of opportunities to ask questions and give feedback, and we have met with trade union representatives to discuss how best to communicate with staff during the coming months.”