Unite, the union for workers in Gibraltar, today has stated that the Ministry of Health put out "inaccurate evidence" to the public about appointment availability at the PCC.

Sam Hennessy, Regional Officer for Unite Gibraltar said: “The union is appalled at the way the Ministry of Health has manipulated information to lay the blame at the foot of frontline workers instead of taking ownership of their own failings in transitioning back into normality post COVID-19.  The press release issued by the Ministry of Health did not account for the fact that staff who were deployed to other areas were not provided with any backfill for clinical sessions. Therefore naturally this causes greater strains on availability of appointments. We believe it is unfair that staff who have given their complete dedication to the community in the biggest health crisis in living memory are now scapegoated publically to provide cover for Ministerial interference in the Gibraltar Health Authority.

“The community and our members deserve transparency and answers when systemic failings cause for the health service to not perform as it should. The accountability must be shouldered at a political level. We wrote to the Ministry for Health detailing the concerns of our members and we have been disappointed that the response given sought to divide and rule amongst the community and frontline staff in the GHA. That is why we are now compelled to set the record straight once and for all. The investigation which was completed on the premise of miscued information and the press release which targeted Doctors last Friday will not improve standards of care for the community or morale for workers in the GHA.

“We continue to demand immediate engagement and clarification in how the investigation was conducted and how recommendations from that investigation will be implemented in the interests of frontline workers and for the community they serve. Going forward we hope that the Ministry of Health will not resort to finger pointing but engage constructively for the betterment of all those that rely on our vital Gibraltar Health Authority.