- Conference
- 2025 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 December 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes with concern the impact that the continued staffing shortages in the NHS are having on workers’ lives. Our members across the regions and Nations of our union continue to experience the detrimental impact of understaffing in the health settings in which they work on a daily basis. The day-to-day shortage of staff in all areas of the NHS is having severe and negative effects on our members work/life balance, leading to high levels of stress related sickness. UNISON members are doing the best they can in extremely challenging environments and morale levels are at an all time low due to exhaustion and frustration.
In addition, staff are being denied flexible working requests or are being pressured to change the existing flexible working arrangements or non-standard working patterns already in place. Caring responsibilities and maintaining the household falls disproportionately on women. These flexible/non standard working patterns are in place to give our members the flexibility and opportunity to balance both care arrangements and other home commitments with work, and staff shortages are being used as the excuse for requests being denied.
Conference applauds our comrades at UNISON Greater Manchester Mental Healthcare Branch for running a campaign which culminated in taking industrial action on the matter of staff shortages and the implications to the service.
Conference calls on the Health Care Service Group Executive to campaign:
1. to highlight the impact of staff shortages on the lives of all NHS workers, particularly the disproportionate impact this can have on women and other staff with caring responsibilities.
2. to provide support, resources, and training to UNISON Healthcare Branches and representatives to enable them to effectively organise around safe staffing issues.