- Conference
- 2024 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 29 November 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that Minor Injuries Units perform a crucial role in the treatment of acute patients who treat injuries that are not critical or life-threatening. But some minor injuries units also see more complex injuries. These complex patients can be referred directly to accident and emergency or to a speciality so being triaged away from the main accident and emergency department.
Conference is aware that austerity measures for the past 13 years have exacerbated the pressure on the NHS and public services, stretching staff and resources to the absolute limit. This has resulted in many NHS Trusts making the decision to outsource minor injuries units to save money, selling this service to the cheapest bidder. Many of these contracts are being sold to outsourced providers, as a lump sum payment and not per patient. This contract arrangement is beneficial to the NHS Trust as it means paying an agreed amount for the year which allows them to manage the budget better, however this has a consequence for those outsourced staff.
Conference notes outsourced companies are more interested in the profit margin and the shareholder dividends they can pay, rather than ensuring their staff are fairly paid. Many staff who are outsourced and employed by a third-party company receive much less than Agenda for Change rates of pay, to help achieve a profit and to return dividends to company shareholders. Many staff initially TUPEd over to the new provider find that after a period they lose their Agenda for Change pay scales and terms and conditions and/or possibly end up with a two tier workforce.
Thus we request that Conference supports the SGE in the following
1)to develop a coordinated campaign across the NHS to prevent further outsourcing of services such as MIU whilst also working to bring back in house existing outsourced services
2) Work with other unions and labour link to develop stronger TUPE regulations to prevent two tier workforces developing