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Healthcare Assistants: distributional losses as a consequence of NHS modernisation?
conference contribution
posted on 2020-06-05, 11:04 authored by Ian Clark, Amanda ThompsonThis paper examines the labour process of Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) at an NHS hospital trust (TUH) in the context of the NHS Modernization Agenda. It determines whether application of the Modernization Agenda is formalised at TUH and considers how HCAs are affected. The paper is based upon sixty interviews with HCAs, structured questionnaires completed by all interview respondents, observation of HCAs and interviews with non-clinical managers. The findings show that elements of the Modernization Agenda are informally implemented at TUH to the detriment of HCAs. HCAs experience distributional losses in the form of intensification as nurses deflect duties to HCAs and insulate themselves from adverse effects. HCAs resist, using selective absence when pressures mount. They ameliorate losses by re-internalising their work as a job with caring elements not a genuine caring role. They rationalise their altered behaviour towards patients by blaming the regime’s treatment of them as a subordinated group.
Funding
The Centre for Sustainable Work andEmployment Futures is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)and Medical Research Council (MRC).
History
Citation
Clark, I. and Thompson, A. (2015), Healthcare Assistants. New Technology, Work and Employment, 30: 209-221. doi:10.1111/ntwe.12053Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS AND HUMANITIES/School of ManagementSource
International Labour Process Conference, Kings College LondonVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Published in
New Technology, Work and EmploymentVolume
30Pagination
209-221Publisher
Wileyeissn
1468-005XAcceptance date
2014-02-01Copyright date
2015Publisher DOI
Spatial coverage
UKTemporal coverage: start date
2014-04-04Temporal coverage: end date
2016-08-07Language
enAdministrator link
Publisher version
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ntwe.12053Usage metrics
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