PORTERS at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital are squaring up to challenge plans for new working practices.

The porters are angry about proposals they claim could scotch bonus payments and threaten jobs.

But they stress no industrial action is being planned at this stage and that patient services will not be affected in the foreseeable future.

South Tees NHS Trust - which now manages the Friarage - says there is no dispute over the plans but did confirm that talks are continuing.

The row has erupted just as it is announced that an £18m revamp of the hospital has been given the go-ahead.

A massive redevelopment will include a new women's health unit; refurbished maternity unit; new pathology lab; new kitchens; new pharmacy and an upgrade of the main entrance.

Underlying the portering issue, however, are more far-reaching fears that the Friarage has been "taken over" by South Tees and could end up mirroring the trust's bigger sites in Middlesbrough.

Staff say systems in place under the former Northallerton NHS Trust won the Friarage a three-star national award.

"And those systems are now being changed," said Patrick Rothwell, the Friarage Unison representative for porters. "Has no-one told the trust that big is not always best?"

Elaine Bennington, the trust's deputy hotel services manager/adviser, confirmed that changes to the portering system will come into effect on August 18.

"But they are not massive changes," she said. "We want to improve services to patients and modernise the portering service."

She said most shifts will not change but that the trust was going to build in meal breaks instead of rests being taken more informally as at present.

Mr Rothwell said the trust was planning to cut wages by 30pc by removing a guaranteed bonus.

Ms Bennington said this was not true.

A bonus system which was changed at national level in 1988 had never been implemented at the Friarage and the trust wanted to bring the site into line with others operating a performance system.

"A bonus can never be guaranteed as part of salary," she said.

Other areas of concern to porters involve claims that drivers will be stopped from working weekends; plans to create "floor porters" as at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough; and a change in shift patterns from eight hours to 12.

"We can only assume this will be a way of reducing the number of staff," said Mr Rothwell.

Ms Bennington dismissed the fears.

"Porters have received letters detailing their role and a rota showing eight-hour shifts," she said. "The staff told us some time ago they did not favour 12-hour working.

"Other changes such as the "floor porters" which involve designating porters to specific wards, have been well received at other sites."

Talks were being held with Unison this week but Mr Rothwell said: "None of the planned changes will lead to any Northallerton staff benefiting.

"The trust says the changes to the portering department are not financially driven, so why are they being implemented?

"The only answer we get is 'it works well in South Tees.'

"We are not South Tees and please credit the former Northallerton NHS Trust with some intelligence for systems which have worked well at the Friarage all these years."

* Hospital's £18m upgrade and background to the dispute: page 5