A CARE group who run some GP practices in Basingstoke have said staff will earn at least 10 pence above the living wage.

Operose Health have today (January 21) said the change will see the immediate pay increase for around 60 staff in Basingstoke, including reception staff, admin and health care assistants.

Operose Health runs several practices in Basingstoke including CGH (Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood), which are Gillies Health Centre, St Andrews Centre and Essex House.

They also run Shakespeare Road Medical Practice.

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Hasnain Abassi, GP director, said: “The Operose Health Living Wage is our way of thanking our amazing staff for their commitment to our patients across Basingstoke, especially over the last two years. Working in a GP practice can be challenging, so I am delighted that our staff in Basingstoke, and over 500 nationally will be getting the recognition they deserve.

“We wanted to give more back to our staff, especially those working in frontline but lower paid roles like our reception and admin teams. The public were, rightly, out every week applauding NHS services during the pandemic, and it’s great to be able to put more of that pride we feel into their pay.”

CGH last year merged with Operose, an American-owned health firm and will also take over at Beggarwood surgery on February 1, 2022, after North Hampshire Urgent Care (NHUC), who have been running the surgery temporarily since 2019, end their contract.

As previously reported by The Gazette Cllr Putty (Conservative, Hatch Warren & Beggarwood), a former mental health nurse, said he was concerned about the privatisation of the primary care system.

He said: "I am not happy at all. I just feel that the Americans [Operose] are really pushing into the health service especially in primary care."

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Katherine Chapman, director, living wage foundation, added: “We all need a wage that meets our everyday needs, even more so when living costs have been rising so sharply. That's why I'm delighted to welcome Operose Health as our newest Living Wage Employer, joining the movement of over 9,000 responsible employers across the UK, who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“We must not forget those key workers who have been instrumental to the survival of our businesses and our society, so we are thrilled to see Operose Health leading the way in rewarding our frontline health staff with a wage that meets their everyday needs, providing workers and families with stability and security.”

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