- Conference
- 2024 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 8 December 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the growing concerns raised by UNISON members in Northern Ireland. Our members applaud and support safeguarding for patients, clients and the most vulnerable but the balance needs to be shifted back to also safeguard our staff.
Conference notes however how our members have been increasingly aware of the rise of recordings taken in their place of work, primarily by personal mobile phones. Reports have been received when not only is the footage being taken but it is also when it is being shared widely on social media networks.
Conference notes that this amounts to a possible a breach of a right to privacy, under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act and also potentially a breach of GDPR. No permission has been given to share this data or anything or anyone else that may be caught in the background.
Conference asserts that health workers need to feel safe in their workplace without an added anxiety that everything they are doing is being filmed for a ticktok, a viral sensation or a meme because someone else decides to use footage to ridicule our Health and Social Care staff for entertainment. Conference is concerned that these actions also compromise staff personal safety, often leads to harassment in the workplace or even more serious threats of harm.
Conference is aware that this activity has especially become a real concern for our nursing staff in high pressured departments such as ED or even in Elderly care. It has also impacted on our lone workers in the community especially our homecare staff. This can mean an interference in members’ ability to carry out duties which could be detrimental to care. Staff have been known to leave the health service because of bad experience.
Employers in Northern Ireland are not properly dealing with this issue. Often workers are left to deal with this as a civil matter. This needs to be a responsibility of the employer within their duty of care protocols.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to support regions in their efforts to ensure employers create staff support in the workplace.
Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to conduct a survey of our health members on this issue. This would assist the Service Group Executive in developing a strategy and guidance to support regions in addressing these issues.