UNISON duty of care handbook
Sample letters
These sample letters are intended to help members, managers and trade union reps raise concerns about staffing levels, the quality of care or safe practice.
Tips on conducting a survey
Advice on conducting a survey, including some sample questions, to help
activists and branches to test staff views or to demonstrate the level of concern around a duty of care issue
UNISON's popular handbook aims to help all health and social care staff to maintain the duty of care to patients/service users, colleagues and the public, particularly when there is pressure on services.
Health and social care staff across the UK are being confronted with changes to services, vacancy freezes, increasing workloads and reductions in staffing and budgets. There has never been a more important time to remind us all of the vital importance of raising concerns about the duty of care and acting on them before it is too late.
This handbook is a practical guide to empower UNISON members to have a positive influence and be the guardians of safe, effective and high-quality services.
What others have said about the handbook:"At a time of change, patients and service users depend more than ever on the integrity of care professionals. This handbook is a valuable guide to health and care professionals' responsibilities and rights, and to sources of help when it may be hard to know the right thing to do and even harder to do it."
Harry Cayton, chief executive, Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
"Safeguarding the public and delivering high quality patient care are essential. Key to this is creating a culture where nurses and midwives are able to appropriately raise concerns, particularly in a time of significant structural change across health care organisations. This handbook is a useful supplement to the Code and other NMC standards and guidance which specify the responsibilities of nurses and midwives in raising and escalating concerns."
Professor Dickon Weir-Hughes, chief executive and registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council
"The Health Professions Council (HPC) is committed to protecting the public and ensuring that professionals are meeting UK standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health. Unison's Duty of Care Handbook provides a useful accompaniment to the HPC's guidance and standards, and assists in maintaining good practice across the health and social care setting."
Marc Seale, chief executive and registrar, Health Professions Council
