- Conference
- 2015 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 5 December 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that many health employers are encouraging and at times pressing members in community and many support services roles to work in agile, remote or home based ways, making greater use of IT and reducing both the number of times staff need to visit their base and the size and number of bases themselves.
While recognising the benefits that this flexibility may bring to some, Conference recognises that health care work is emotionally challenging. We believe that informal contact with colleagues at a base as well as in team meetings and formal supervision helps protect our mental health. Cutting back too far on this informal contact will lead to increased stress levels and potentially sickness for our members, as well as risking the quality of care provided to service users and patients. We need to make sure that a management consultant’s view of ‘efficiency’ does not turn us into dehumanised machines. Conference also recognises that robust safety arrangements need to be in place for staff working with less reliance on team bases, and that these ways of working pose challenges for us as trade unions in how we organise these members.
Conference calls upon the Health Service Group Executive to liaise with the Health and Safety unit to produce specific guidance for branches and activists on agile, remote and home based working in the health care sector. These should address not only the physical safety risks to members but also the stress and wellbeing risks and the professional & quality of care concerns that need to be considered.