- Conference
- 2003 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 1 December 2002
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the establishment of new Primary Care organisations and the planned future expansion in Primary Care and Community Health facilities including, Primary Care Trusts holding approximately 75% of the NHS budget and taking on the role of directly providing services. Conference therefore agrees that organising in Primary Care Organisations and Community Health is a key priority for UNISON.
If UNISON is going to successfully meet the challenge of organising in this growing sector and benefit from potential recruitment opportunities, organising in Primary Care and Community Health must become a priority. This means that UNISON at national and regional levels must work together to support branch development.
Conference notes the work currently in progress involving both the Health and Local Government Service Groups. This work should positively impact on our members who are currently employed by both local government and health employers for example occupational therapist.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to expand its work to support UNISON’s organising objectives and to ensure that RMS information is accurate, and that job codes reflect the changing roles and job titles in Primary Care and Community Health.
Conference therefore agrees that:
1)Branches should work with Regional Officers using WoW and the branch development process, to maximise UNISON’s recruitment, organising and representation expertise for the benefit of staff in the Primary and Community Health Care Sector;
2)Regional Health Committees should priorities organising within Primary Care and Community Health and where it is practical and appropriate set up seminars, briefings and forums with the Local Government Regional Committees to co-ordinate an organising strategy;
3)The Health SGE should ensure that activists have the tools to do the job by providing recruitment materials, circulating regular bulletins, displaying community staff specific information on the Health pages on UNISON’s web site and encouraging the establishment of cross-service group activist networks;
4)Regions should use the Department of Health’s public commitment to partnership working to negotiate facilities for activists to deliver the agenda identified above.