- Conference
- 2024 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 12 December 2023
- Decision
- Carried
One Team – Admin Charter for Change
Conference notes that administrative and clerical support staff are the backbone of the NHS providing a wide range of essential services that underpin the delivery of healthcare.
Conference also notes that in a recent UNISON member survey of admin and clerical staff, members in these roles said they feel undervalued and unsupported in the jobs they do. Over half of the respondents told us they regularly work
unpaid overtime and take on additional duties to cover for vacant posts without recognition or reward.
Despite an increase in the use of digital technology in the NHS, the majority of our members told us that they had not been part of any consultation on its increase, nor offered any additional training to implement its increase effectively.
In the UNISON survey, 49% of our members told us they do not have a current personal development plan or regular development reviews with line management, despite it being part of their contract.
Section 6 of the NHS Terms and conditions handbook states that.
‘All staff will have annual development reviews which will result in the production of a personal development plan.’
It is unacceptable then, that these members – the majority of whom are women – have very little opportunity for any career development or access to training courses.
Many of these members have worked within the NHS for many years and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share. If career progression was embedded, employers would benefit from improved retention rates in these job roles.
In response to the UNISON survey, the National Operational Services group alongside a UNISON members focus group, have developed an Admin staff ‘Charter for Change’. The charter sets out actions that employers can take to ensure that development review processes are firmly embedded and opportunities for career development alongside adequate training is on offer for all administrative and clerical support staff.
The Charter also calls on branches to work in partnership with employers to examine whether job descriptions are up to date, and that staff are paid appropriately for the jobs that they do.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to:
1. endorse and promote the admin Charter for change produced by the Operational Services Group.
2. encourage regions and branches to work in partnership with employers to sign up and commit to implement the actions within the Charter.
3. produce resources to enable branches to campaign around the Charter as a recruitment and organising opportunity.