Outsourcing as a threat to public health: the case for insourcing public sector cleaners and facilities management, New Economics Foundation

The evidence cited in this report suggests that outsourced health facilities management services pose a threat to public health. This represents a major weakness in the UK ' s ability to cope with subsequent waves of Covid-19. As a matter of public health, this paper recommends that: the government should launch an urgent and independent inquiry into the outsourcing of key workers, including cleaners, to assess whether, as the literature suggests, there is a link between outsourcing and higher rates of infection; and as a pandemic precautionary measure, all local authorities and NHS trusts should immediately assess their portfolio of health care facilities management and sanitation workers, and examine opportunities to bring them in-house.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news