Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust is moving forward with plans to privatise the Catering, Domestic and Housekeeper services to be run by a profit making contractor.

These services are integral to ensuring the health and wellbeing of patients at the hospital.

To date the Trust have provided little compelling evidence to show that this privatisation would result in any significant cost saving or an improvement of services.

Currently all patient meals at the hospital are prepared fresh on site. Under the new proposals instead of freshly prepared meals a private company would serve patients 'cook-chill' pre-prepared meals which are made elsewhere and re-heated on site.

The Domestic service ensure that the hospital is clean and infection free and has been rated within the top quartile in the country (99.4% - 2013 PLACE audit). A cost cutting private company can only undermine this quality service which has the potential to cause an increase in hospital  infection rates if standards drop.

Housekeepers are an integral and valued part of a ward team and carry out a whole host of tasks that improve and provide added value for patient care - this integration with the ward team will end should this service be outsourced.

We believe that these services are both more cost effective and of a higher standard when delivered in-house as part of the NHS.

We are therefore calling for the Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust Board to:

1) End the process of outsourcing the Catering, Domestic and Housekeeper services.

2) Commit to a continued in-house provision of these services.

3) Commit to the continuation of patient meals freshly prepared on site.

4) Commit to properly engaging around the future of these services with the organisations that represent these valued members of staff.

Please sign this petition to show the Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust Board that our local communities value ALL their hospital services.