Complex, large scale redundancy with tight timescales including union involvement.
The Situation
This tech-enabled healthcare provider undertook a major operating model shift to drive efficiency and improve profitability. As part of the restructure, changes to clinical shift allocation meant that fewer doctors were needed to meet revised service demands.
The affected workforce primarily consisted of doctors who also worked within the NHS, making scheduling and consultation logistics more complex. Many of them were union members, and while the business didn’t formally recognise the union, they made the decision to engage with union representatives to help manage the process collaboratively.
The client’s in-house HR team led the planning and collective consultation. However, when it came to delivering the individual consultation phase, they brought us in for additional capacity and expert delivery.
- Client
Digital Healthcare Provider - Industry
- Healthtech / Telemedicine.
- Services Provided
- Individual consultation delivery, meeting coordination, documentation and process control
- Duration
- 4 months
- Team Deployed
- 4 Consultants, 2 Project Administrators, 1 Director
The Challenge
Several factors made this a particularly nuanced delivery:
- Union engagement required sensitivity and professionalism in all communications
- Doctors’ availability was limited to evenings and weekends due to NHS commitments
- Consultation paths varied, with some individuals being offered alternative shift patterns rather than redundancy
- Investor scrutiny placed pressure on the business to meet a hard deadline — visible cost impact by financial year-end
The internal HR team needed a trusted partner that could take care of the delivery details while keeping them fully in the loop — without overstepping or duplicating internal effort.
Our Solution
We deployed a tight, experienced team to handle the entire delivery phase, while keeping the in-house HR team informed and in control.
Our support included:
A trusted relationship — responsive, professional, and always within remit
Out-of-hours scheduling and meeting facilitation to accommodate clinicians’ work patterns
Customised documentation and consultation scripts to reflect varying employee outcomes
Clear escalation paths and real-time progress updates, ensuring the internal team never felt out of the loop
Tracker creation and status reporting to ensure complete transparency
Document drafting, issuing, and follow-up, all handled to strict deadlines
The Outcome
All consultations were completed on time and in full, meeting the business’s timeline for financial year-end restructuring impact.
Feedback from the internal HR team focused on feeling supported, informed, and confident throughout the process. One senior stakeholder noted:
“We were worried we’d feel out of control — but instead, we always knew what was happening. You were on top of everything, but never overstepped.”
Why it worked
Out-of-hours flexibility to meet the realities of a clinical workforce
Expert delivery without ego — respecting the boundaries and ownership of the in-house team
Real-time clarity — tools and trackers that gave full visibility
A delivery partner the client trusted to handle sensitive work with consistency, empathy, and precision
What You Get With Us
Practical Planning
Real-world planning for TUPE, redundancy, or integration. Detailed plans so you know exactly what needs to happen and by when.
Experienced Team
Qualified HR professionals who don’t just know the theory, they know the real life challenges that change presents.
Honest, Clear Advice
You know your business and your team. We’re here to provide honest, clear advice on how to deliver the change in the most efficient way.
Clarity first. Then execution.
Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out where to start. We’ll help you build a plan that’s credible, deliverable, and right for your business – then, if you want, we’ll help you make it happen.
