Milton Keynes company which charges employees £50 for calling in sick hits back at criticism

A company that charges its employees £50 if they call in sick with less than 24 hour’s notice has hit back at national media criticism.

Newcross Healthcare, which has a branch in Bletchley, provides nurses and health care workers to hospitals and care homes.

The company, in a statement, said: “Patient care is absolutely paramount to us and we take very seriously our commitment to deliver for our clients and to follow CQC, CI and CIW regulations.

“The 24-hour protocol is to ensure there is no disruption in patient care and to protect those who rely on our employees to attend their shifts once they have accepted them.

“For this reason, we ask all of our employees sign up to this agreement as part of their contract of employment.”

The company’s Milton Keynes branch in Mount Farm is run by business centre manager Sean Putnam.

It is one of a number of branches across the country and serves the Buckinghamshire region by providing qualified healthcare professionals.

Its policies have been slammed by the health care union, Unison, and Compassion in Care.

Unison is launching an investigation while Compassion in Care’s Eileen Chubb has criticised the policy for potentially putting vulnerable people at risk if workers feel pressured to turn up for work with a cold, which might put elderly people at risk.

The company says it is phasing out the policy by April and reviews all cases.

Newcross Healthcare Solutions was founded in 1996 by Michelle Gorringe RN and Stephen Pattrick. Their vision was to raise standards in care