...The Union of Christmas Island Workers highlighted the systemic failure by Serco to manage the Christmas Island Detention Centre. The centre detains a large number of refugees including 1,000 children.[66] Under Serco, there has been an increase of deaths in custody, self-harm, and of Serco staff beating prisoners. As well, there has been a deterioration of facilities leading to the decline of the physical and the mental health of detainees and of staff. Ombudsman Allan Asher on the Australian radio show AM said, "In the first week of June when I visited Christmas Island, more than 30 incidents of self-harm by detainees held there were reported."[66] Serco, in a staged memo leaked to The Australian, blamed the detainees for "creating a culture of self-harm," in order to use it as a "bargaining tool."[66]The former manager of the Serco run detention centre stated the centre was grossly understaffed whereby it was "typically 15 staff members short every day."[66]
In health services, Serco's difficulties include the poor handling of pathology labs and fatal errors in patient records. At St Thomas' Hospital, the increase in the number of clinical incidents arising from Serco non-clinical management has resulted in patients receiving incorrect and infected blood, as well as patients suffering kidney damage due to Serco providing incorrect data used for medical calculations.[67] A Serco employee later revealed that the company had falsified 252 reports to the National Health Service regarding Serco health services in Cornwall.[68]
In September 2013, Ireland rejected a tender by Serco when the company was found to be involved in a £56 million pound fraud in Britain.[69]
In September 2013, Serco was accused of extensive sexual abuse cover-ups of immigrants at Yarls Wood prison inBedfordshire, England [70]
It emerged in November 2013, Serco, which won a contract for Suffolk Community Healthcare in 2012, had 72 vacancies after earlier cutting 137 posts. Problems identified by Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group include “staff capacity, skill mix, workload, succession planning and morale, training, communication, mobile working, care co-ordination centre processes, incidents and near miss incidents”.[71]...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serco#Controversies
No comments:
Post a Comment