UNISON has called on Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to abandon its outsourcing proposal completely, a move that would affect the employment arrangements of staff working at Yeovil District Hospital as well as hospitals elsewhere in Somerset.
The union’s campaign follows the trust’s decision to pause plans to transfer hundreds of non-clinical healthcare workers to Simply Serve Ltd. The company is wholly owned by the trust. Roles included in the proposal are portering, housekeeping, maintenance and facilities management.
What the union is asking for
UNISON wants the affected workers to remain directly employed by the NHS rather than move to the subsidiary. It is also campaigning for workers at Yeovil District Hospital who are already employed through Simply Serve to be brought back into direct NHS employment.
The dispute is part of the union’s wider argument that public services should be delivered by NHS employees. UNISON and the RMT union are running a national campaign called Insource Now!, which calls for the reintegration of public services.
Staff survey and planned protest
More than 700 staff took part in a UNISON survey about the proposals. The union said 98% of respondents wanted the services to continue being delivered by NHS-employed staff.
Although the outsourcing plans have been paused, staff and union representatives were due to protest outside a Somerset NHS Foundation Trust board meeting scheduled for 8.30am. The stated aim was to persuade board members to abandon the proposals rather than leave them on hold.
UNISON South West regional secretary Tim Roberts said workers wanted to remain NHS employees and called on the trust to deliver promised government insourcing. He described the pause as evidence that collective action could influence the process, but stressed that it was not a final decision.
The report was published on 8 September 2026. Bauer Media said it had contacted Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for a comment. No response from the trust was included in the supplied report.
