- Conference
- 2025 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 4 December 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference endorses the need for effective management of staff health and attendance at work and the support mechanisms, which promote good practice. We need to enable UNISON health members with long term or acute conditions to lead full and productive lives and balance their health work roles effectively.
Conference is concerned that manual workers are performing increased physically demanding roles which will have a cumulative negative effect on their health, such as musculoskeletal or back problems. For Unison Health Administrative and Clerical members similar rises are being reported not only in musculoskeletal and back problems, but also in repetitive strain injuries as well.
Conference notes that some NHS organisations and private employers in the NHS are putting pressure on members to take annual leave to meet medical or other treatment appointments relating to their sickness. Most employers have a direct occupational health provider to support members’ health issues. These Occupational Health appointments are now mostly electronic/phone calls, moving away from one to one meetings with the employee. The Occupational Health Assessments make recommendations back to the employer concerning the employee’s health and work place duties.
Conference notes too many times, NHS Employers and NHS Private employers only really take notice of their Occupational Health Reports at a latter stage of Absence Management / Capability Policy, when dismissal is a possible outcome of the formal hearing. It is left to UNISON Branches/stewards to support the member’s case of implementation of the Occupational Health Recommendations at the earlier stages of the Absence Management/ Capability Policy to prevent possible escalation to latter stages.
Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to:
1. Continue calling on NHS employers including those private employers in the NHS, to promote sickness absence policies at all stages, that support staff and tackle the underlying causes of workplace ill health.
2. Continue raising awareness and promote UNISON?s model disability leave agreement and UNISON?s health and safety guides on disability and the ageing workforce across health branches.
3. Continue campaigning against any NHS employers who are not complying with the NHS Staff Council guidelines on prevention and management of sickness absence. Where there may be a private employer in the NHS, to urge that employer to follow these guidelines.