Keep sterilisation jobs at King George Hospital to protect patients

Patients' lives could be at risk in London hospitals if a sterilisation unit currently based in the capital is transferred 40 miles away to Kent. The move would put vital theatre operation equipment dangerously far away from where it is needed. [Morning Star]

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has awarded the contract to a private company, IHSS, which plans to transfer the work to a site at Maidstone, Kent. This would cause chaos for patients and staff.

We as a unit are very often called upon in emergency to take sterile trays to Queens, Romford Essex or King George, Ilford Essex hospitals as they do not have enough equipment. This is a major trauma & neurological centre so therefore time is of the essence. We won't be able to do this if we are moved to Kent. 

Many staff would not be able to afford to get to work if the jobs are moved to Kent.

Please sign our petition to show your support for keeping sterilisation workers' jobs at hospitals. If enough people sign, we can get the NHS Trust to take into consideration the impact of taking this service off-site, and the potential job losses it could cause. We realize the Trust are trying to save money, but a decision to relocate this unit will put lives at risk.