Union criticises Harrogate hospital for spending £1.2m on management consultants

One of Britain’s biggest trade unions has weighed in on Harrogate hospital’s decision to spend £1.2 million on hiring management consultants to develop a “culture of continuous improvement”. 

Unite the Union, which has more than 1.2 million members in the UK and Ireland, said “paying consultants to produce a report that will gather dust on a shelf” was “not a good use of taxpayers’ money” and urged Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust to urgently review the decision. 

The trust signed a contract with KPMG and Catalysis in March, which will run for 18 months to September 2024. 

KPMG is one of the world’s largest multinational professional services companies, and Catalysis is a Wisconsin-based not-for-profit organisation that works to help healthcare bodies become more efficient. 

Unite’s national officer for health, Colenzo Jarrett Thorpe, told the Stray Ferret:  

“The board of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust needs an urgent review of this decision since it is not a good use of taxpayers’ money. Consultants are called in to tell the organisation what they already know or what they want to hear, without having the foresight to have the discussion with key stakeholders such as staff and trade unions and patient groups first. 

“The £1.2 million would be better spent cutting agency spend, improving flexible working for all employees, and reducing the vacancy rates across the trust, rather than paying consultants to produce a report that will gather dust on a shelf and will not impact anyone.” 

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The trust has said its continuous improvement programme, called HDFT Impact, will ultimately involve all 5,000-plus employees, who will be encouraged to share knowledge with each other and come up with ways to improve the way the Trust delivers its services. 

Mr Jarrett-Thorpe said: 

“If the trust wanted to involve all employees, why doesn’t it improve and strengthen access and facilities to trade union representatives in the trust? Trade unions representatives can help retention of NHS staff, staff morale, improve safety at work, increase staff engagement, productivity and learning opportunities.” 

The trust argues its continuous improvement agenda has brought about positive change over the last decade. KPMG and Catalysis are also reported to have helped other hospital trusts save hundreds of thousands of pounds in efficiencies, increase surgeries, reduce patient falls, and improve care outcomes. 

In a statement issued earlier this month, the trust said: 

“Continuous improvement is not a new concept at HDFT. It has been integral in helping us to develop our services and bring improvements for patients and colleagues for a long time – we have been using a lean quality improvement approach for over 10 years. We know this approach works and we’ve seen the improvements it can bring for patients and colleagues.” 

Harrogate hospital awards consultants £1.2m to embed culture of ‘continuous improvement’

Harrogate District Hospital is spending nearly £1.2m on hiring management consultants to develop a culture of continuous improvement, the Stray Ferret can reveal. 

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) signed a contract with KPMG and Catalysis in March, which will run for 18 months to September 2024. 

KPMG is one of the world’s largest multinational professional services companies, and Catalysis is a Wisconsin-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping healthcare bodies become more efficient. 

The continuous improvement programme, called HDFT Impact, will ultimately involve all 5,000-plus employees, who will be encouraged to share their knowledge with each other and come up with ways to improve the way the trust delivers its services. 

In a statement sent to the Stray Ferret, a spokesperson said: 

“It is our aim to embed improvement at the centre of our culture and operating model so we can provide the best quality, safest health and care services for our patients, children and the community; and make HDFT the best place to work for our colleagues.” 

They added: 

“There is no doubt that a steady stream of improvements, both big and small, can have transformational results.” 

In recent years, KPMG and Catalysis have together worked with 16 NHS trusts, including Western Sussex, which became the first non-specialist trust to be rated outstanding in all areas by the Care Quality Commission. 

In other cases, one trust saved £800,000 in theatre efficiencies, one increased surgeries per list by 25%, and another reduced falls among patients by 60%. 

The spokesperson said: 

“Continuous improvement is not a new concept at HDFT. It has been integral in helping us to develop our services and bring improvements for patients and colleagues for a long time – we have been using a lean quality improvement approach for over 10 years.

“We know this approach works and we’ve seen the improvements it can bring for patients and colleagues.” 

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The HDFT Impact programme is being funded from the trust’s budget to procure and implement a new electronic patient record system.

The spokesperson said: 

“Our EPR project is not just about providing an electronic system, but is an improvement programme enabled by technology to give our staff the opportunity to improve across the whole organisation.” 

In May, it was reported that management consultants were being paid up to £3,000 a day for work within NHS England. At the time, Onay Kasab, national lead officer of trade union Unite, said the health service was being “plundered by private sector profiteers”. He added:

“The money would be much better spent providing a proper pay rise for NHS staff to end the recruitment and retention crisis that is crippling health services.”

HDFT’s deal with KPMG and Catalysis is costing the trust about £2,200 per day for the duration of the 18-month contract.

Asked if there had been any opposition or resistance from hospital staff to the hiring of external consultants, the spokesperson said: 

“As an organisation, the majority of our colleagues are receptive to continuous improvement.

“Cultural change can be challenging, and a small number of people may be sceptical, but we believe that developing our continuous improvement programme is vital in our pursuit of excellence so that we can raise quality, reduce costs, explore better ways of delivering our services, and provide the best possible healthcare for those who need it.

“We hope that as the programme progresses and staff engage in it, all of our staff will recognise the huge benefits.” 

Elderly and disabled Harrogate district commuters face difficulties at Leeds

Elderly and disabled commuters from the Harrogate district face ‘intolerable obstacles’ under proposed changes to Leeds train station.

Taxi ranks are due to be relocated much further from the station as part of a £39.5m revamp of the station’s main entrance and the adjoining area.

Trade union Unite said today commuters would have to travel 165 metres from the station entrance and use a lift as opposed to travel 45 metres now.

Unite regional officer Darren Rushworth, said:

“This proposal will put intolerable obstacles in the way of disabled people and the elderly who will have nearly four times the length to go to seek a taxi.

“Unite and a wide range of disability organisations want the status quo to continue and for people actually running this development to listen rather than dismissing our legitimate arguments, most of which have been outlined to the local council many times.”

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Many commuters use the line to Leeds from the Harrogate district.

Disability campaigners are staging a protest at Leeds Civic Hall at 11.30 on September 14 to lobby councillors to keep the rank where it is. This will be followed by a march from the Civic Hall to Millennium Square.

Leeds City Council, Network Rail and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which are behind the planned changes, have said the redevelopment will make passenger movements easier.