The Bristol Royal Infirmary will be taken over by a new chief executive and Bath's Royal United Hospital will be forced to tender for an entire management team.

Both hospitals have consistently been rated with no stars under the government's assessment scheme, mainly as a result of having too many patients waiting on trolleys in their accident and emergency departments.

On Thursday, a register of more than 70 organisations deemed suitable to take over the management of ailing hospitals in Britain was published by the government.

We've had all sorts of managers already and they haven't had a clue what the health service is about John Vickery, Unison

It includes eight teams from the private sector. Five of these are British, one is German, one Canadian and one whose parent company is Swedish.

These organisations will now compete with others on the register from within the National Health Service (NHS) to win contracts to run the hospitals.

The union Unison is concerned that Bath's main hospital may be taken over by a private consortium.

John Vickery, regional branch secretary, said: "We would have some difficulty if it went to the private sector.

"We've had all sorts of managers already, from supermarket bosses to helicopter pilots and they haven't had a clue what the health service is about.

Private companies on the list

BMI Healthcare Bupa Hospitals Capio Healthcare UK Hospitalia Activ Health Interhealth Canada Quo Health Secta Group Serco Health

"In the health service you have a lot of different aspects to look after.

"If they put out a list and there are other three-star hospital bosses applying it would be more logical to appoint one of those than a private company."

Former health secretary Frank Dobson described as "shameful" the decision to allow private firms in to run the failing hospitals.

"I think it's the beginning of a slippery slope, I don't think we've got a mandate to do it.

"I don't think we've ever discussed it within the Labour Party, nor have we discussed it with the British people."