A CSP safety rep has successfully regained rehab space
An NHS musculoskeletal and women’s health team’s facilities were requisitioned for PPE storage during the Covid-19 pandemic, moving them into a smaller space shared with the community therapy team. This created patient-care and worker-safety concerns.
CSP safety rep Joshua Meadows stepped in. He said: ‘I raised this issue one-on-one with the chief operating officer, estates director, and director of finance, asking they meet the teams in their working environment. This meant the directors physically saw what our issues were.
‘They listened to CSP members directly, who shared how the estate’s issues created inequities of service provision, had been demoralising, and that they often could not deliver the care they wanted.’
Following this, they agreed positive actions, including:
- A joint safety review of the arrangements, involving safety reps, infection control and the safety team.
- The creation of additional storage space in the current site, awaiting a more permanent solution.
‘To keep the pressure up I completed a stress survey with members, raising the issue at each committee meeting I attend as a union rep,’ Joshua adds. ‘Following our joint safety review, the trust’s board agreed to renovate an existing building to adequately house the services. However, due to the need to move existing services out of the building this was delayed.
‘But I organised another meeting with senior management who advised a new timetable and detailed how the move will be tied into the wider post-Covid estate review that will engage with our teams on solutions.
‘They apologised to staff and thanked them for doing their best to deliver the best care.
‘We’ve now got contractors due in to build a new rehab space, and the community team should imminently have their old space back.’
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