Campaigns
News

UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform

(09/05/08) Government pledges staff and patients will be the driving force for change

For safety’s sake

(08/05/08) Meat inspection to remain in public control

Everyday heroes

(06/05/08) Say ‘thank you’ to the special people who care for the UK’s sick children

Food for good

(01/05/08) UNISON calls for school (and hospital) meals to be sourced locally
News list >

Positively Public - campaigning for quality public services

What is Positively Public?
Positively Public is UNISON's campaign for quality in our public services, and for recognition of the essential role of public service workers in achieving this.

Positively Public has campaigned on a range of public service issues, from the quality of school meals and hospital cleaning to the promotion of best practice. We have won widespread recognition and support for our evidence-based critiques of policies such as the Private Finance Initiative and have been successful in securing a number of important policy changes.

UNISON's strategy
UNISON has pursued a twin track approach to public service campaigning that opposes the privatisation and marketisation of public services in principle but also recognises that where reforms are going ahead, UNISON must get the best protections for our members.

UNISON campaigns for public services at international, national and local level, working with a diverse range of organisations who share our views on public services.

Campaign Issues
Positively Public challenges the drive to privatise and marketise public services and is currently campaigning across a range of issues and services.

All our evidence and experience shows that once services are run for private profit, the quality of care and service is reduced and the public service ethos is replaced by a hard-nosed profit motive.

Join us campaigning for quality public services.

CONTACT DETAILS
• The UNISON contact for the Positively Public campaign is Margie Jaffe.
Positively Public
1 Mabledon Place
London WC1H 9AJ
Email: positivelypublic@unison.co.uk
Recent documents
Individual Budgets
The government has said that Individual Budgets should be available to anyone in receipt of social care services. This Fact Sheet explains how Individual Budgets currently work and identifies key concerns around support arrangements, likely costs, impact on services and workforce issues.
Link to a document on this siteIndividual Budgets (358400 bytes)
NHS @ 60
Document containing a mix of serious articles (including one by Dave Prentis), light-hearted features and potted histories to illustrate why it's essential that we continue to celebrate and defend the NHS as it turns 60
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Machines, markets and morals

This pamphlet from the think tank Compass calls on the government to end the marketisation of the NHS and instead allow staff and users to shape the service democratically.Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (1709088 bytes)

PFI cost to the NHS
This study analyses the cost of using private finance to build the first 12 operational PFI hospitals by 2001-2002. It shows that PFI creates budget inflexibilities that increase pressures on the NHS to cut its largest cost: the jobs, working conditions and pay of staff, therefore impacting on the quality of healthcare services.
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (70277 bytes)
The UK Public Library Service - facing the challenges
This factsheet highlights the challenges the public library service faces and UNISON's campaign to defend the service, which is very popular and valued by local communities.
Link to a document on this siteLibrary factsheet (366592 bytes)
All Positively Public reports >