Volunteers demoralised by hospital's tendering out of cafe

Adur Voluntary Action was saddened, if not surprised, to read in last week's Herald about the competitive tendering of services provided for many years by our local hospital Leagues of Friends.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Sep 2016, 15:46 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 02:46 BST

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If Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust had a deliberate policy of demoralising volunteers and voluntary groups, they could scarcely do better, could they?

This decision is effectively handicapping our charities, and handing the advantage to large commercial caterers who possess the experience, time and capacity to submit complex tender documents.

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Local government and the NHS have a lot to say about the importance of local delivery and engagement, as well as “partnership”.

Are the public expected to believe this, in the face of policies which express a contradictory approach? If the public sector and NHS fail directly to support Adur’s locally-based charities, and work constructively with them if necessary to strengthen and improve the social value of their activities, how can anyone expect the private sector or general public so to do?

Adur Voluntary Action publicly lends its support to the hospital Leagues of Friends at Southlands, Worthing and Chichester and urges the general public to do the same.

Adrian Barritt

Chief Officer

Adur Voluntary Action

Shoreham

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Related topics:VolunteersNHSChichester