Wiltshire health care workers could go on strike
The strike ballot closes at midnight tonight (Friday 20 March 2026)
Wiltshire health care workers are to be balloted on strike action.
Members of the UNISON trade union is holding an indicative ballot of all its members who work at Wiltshire community health care provider Health Care Resourcing Group today (Friday).
UNISON says there have been a “series of aggressive moves from HCRG management that has left staff with no recourse to defend themselves and the service.”
Workers are unhappy about redundancy threats and changes to hours and places of work which, says the union, “have pushed staff to their limits.”
And they say the company has failed to address their concerns.
In April 2025, private equity investment company HCRG was given a multi-million pound contract to provide health care in Wiltshire’s community hospitals and other clinical establishments.
These include community children’s health services in Wiltshire, which were formerly delivered under the Virgin Care brand, health visits, and specialist nursing.
In April it signed a seven-year, £144 million-a-year contract to deliver a community services contract, which aims to treat more people who need non-urgent care at home, rather than in hospitals.
The company has also taken on the Learning Disabilities service in Wiltshire, along with the autism diagnostic service and the ADHD prescribing service.
A HCRG staff member said: “We’ve dedicated our lives to caring for the people of Wiltshire, but under HCRG, it feels like the heart is being ripped out of our local NHS.
“From nurses to admin teams, we are all exhausted and demoralised by a system that refuses to recognise our unions and puts corporate targets ahead of the time we need to spend with our patients.
“It matters because when we are pushed to breaking point and denied a voice, the high-quality, compassionate care our community relies on simply cannot survive.”
An HCRG spokesperson said: “Community health services across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire have been brought together under one contract for the first time, with the aim of giving people better, more joined-up care closer to home.
“We are proud to be delivering that alongside more than three thousand dedicated colleagues, and we understand that change of this scale, however necessary, creates real uncertainty for the people involved.
“We have been working hard to support every colleague through this process, meeting in both group and one-to-one settings and we’ve responded to feedback from a wide range of our colleagues.
“Fewer than 10 roles are currently identified as potentially at risk of compulsory redundancy from a workforce of over three thousand. Almost 90 colleagues have already expressed interest in the newly created roles.
“No one is being required to work more hours. HCRG has not cut mileage rates, and our Quality and Safety team has not been reduced – it has been strengthened.
“The move to 8am to 8pm access through the Single Point of Access model is part of the NHS specification for community services – it makes sure people can access services, and delivers on the Government’s 10 year plan for health.
“We have engaged extensively with colleagues and with unions throughout, including direct meetings with UNISON representatives, site visits, and ongoing discussions about a formal Partnership Agreement. We remain genuinely committed to those conversations.”
HCRG is owned by former banker and recruitment firm founder Tristan Ramus, and Ian Munro, a serial director with more than 100 current and past UK company appointments, mainly in staffing, healthcare and investment vehicles.
It works with multiple ICBs and local authorities in England and Wales, including Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire and areas of London, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Devon, and Lancashire.
The strike ballot closes at midnight tonight (Friday 20 March 2026).