- Conference
- 2024 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 11 December 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Healthcare assistants (HCAs), including healthcare, community and maternity support workers, are vital to the NHS. Without them, our health service simply could not function.
Conference notes that it was now ten years ago when the Cavendish review examined the role of HCAs in England and identified that this group of staff were often ‘undervalued and overlooked’. Unfortunately, in many ways this remains true.
The shortage of staff in the NHS has led to HCAs taking on ever more responsibilities and clinical tasks without the pay to match. UNISON’s Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign has led the way in making sure our HCAs are recognised, respected and rewarded by their employers. The campaign has seen thousands of staff moved from Band 2 to Band 3, winning millions of pounds in backpay for our members – as well as building our union by recruiting thousands of new members and activists.
Our HCA members have shown tremendous courage and determination, some taking strike action to get the correct pay for the work they already do.
But valuing our HCAs correctly is not just about pay. In November UNISON HCAs gathered in London for a national seminar. We heard that HCAs also prioritise:
• Protected learning and development opportunities for all, ensuring no financial detriment for those looking to progress their careers.
• Safe staffing levels and management of the team skill mix to protect staff and patients.
• Good, supportive line management and flexibility in their work patterns.
A more strategic approach must also be taken to the deployment of band 4 roles such as Assistant Practitioners and Nursing Associates. A haphazard system has been allowed to develop, with great differences in how these staff are regulated, supported and developed across the UK.
Conference supports the deployment of regulated nursing support roles, such as the Nursing Associates, to date only deployed in England, where this is done appropriately with due regard for the implementation challenges and in partnership with staff-side unions.
These roles must offer well-constructed career pathways and opportunities. They are not a substitution for Registered Nurses; the skill-mix of teams must be carefully monitored and evaluated to ensure their introduction is beneficial for patients and all staff groups.
Conference notes and applauds the role of UNISON HCAs in establishing the first cross-European network for HCAs with EPSU (European Public Service Unions). Compared to most of our European neighbours, HCAs in the UK are under-paid and under-regulated.
Conference supports moves to professionalise the HCA workforce, recognising the many positives that regulation would entail for staff and patients. Significant complexities and disadvantages would also, however, potentially arise. Progress towards regulation must be managed diligently and through a system wide partnership approach. Any move towards individual registration and regulation would need to be matched by requirements on employers to induct, train and develop their staff. As the strongest voice for HCAs, our union should be at the centre of this.
It’s time for a new deal for HCAs, one that ensures HCAs will no longer be overlooked or undervalued.
Conference calls upon the Health Service Group Executive to:
1. Continue to campaign for proper career progression opportunities for all nursing and midwifery support staff, with accessible routes into registered nursing and midwifery roles.
2. Ensure HCAs do not suffer financial detriment for taking steps to progress their careers, such as when undertaking apprenticeships.
3. Build on the success of the Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign to continue to win re banding and back pay for HCAs across the UK.
4. Collaborate with European partners and others to build the evidence base and understanding of HCA roles, particularly focussing on staffing levels and the safe skill mix of teams.
5. Continue the call for regulation and better recognition of the Assistant Practitioner role.
6. Work with partners to support the introduction of regulated nursing support roles in a strategic, well-managed way.
7. Lobby for a strategy to begin exploring the potential for better professionalisation and regulation of the HCA workforce.