- Conference
- 2025 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 4 December 2024
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes that Darzi describes the NHS health and social care act 2012, ushered in by the Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley, as “a calamity without international precedent”. He particularly highlights the damage done by dismantling NHS structures and the “scorched earth” approach to health reform, the effects of which are still felt to this day. In real terms this meant social enterprises, such a Livewell SW, were set up to provide NHS services using staff that were outsourced from the NHS. Originally staff were TUPE transferred under NHS terms and conditions with accompanying benefits, such as the NHS pension, but overtime these terms and conditions have been eroded.
Conference notes that over the last 14 years we have seen a growth in privatisation, of fragmenting the NHS, of driving down terms and conditions. Our skilled workforce are exasperated- despite some social enterprises valuing their own viability over any other concern, despite the experience for patients and staff of services as disjointed and slow, despite some Social enterprises building vast reserves of NHS money- commissioners are still choosing to send more contracts to them. Is it because they are better? Or is it because they are cheaper?
This issue is relevant and important to health service members as workers. Our members hard work is flogged under the banner of NHS work, whilst the social enterprises milk the system and hoard the surplus. It must end. For our NHS to flow from ambulance, to acute, to community we need each member of the team to be equal, to have systems that are transparent and complimentary based on patient care not cost savings.
Streamlined services with fewer providers would mean saving on management costs which could be reinvested into frontline services, ensuring that all staff delivering NHS services have access to NHS pensions and the same terms and conditions. Our members want to be part of the NHS, it is time for team to reassemble.
This Conference calls upon the Service Group Executive to take the following actions to:
1. work with Labour Link across England to raise awareness and opportunities to reintegrate services into the NHS family;
2 Encourage branches to engage with employers about the commissioning process with the aim of keeping services within the public sector and retaining health services in the NHS.
3. Continue campaigning for all staff delivering NHS services to have access to Agenda for Change pay, terms and conditions.
4. Promote UNISON’s bargaining guidance and advice on this issue.
5. Encourage cross branch collaborative working where relevant, for example when the commissioning body has a UNISON branch.
6. Encourage branches to share good practice of engaging with and influencing the commissioning process.