UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, today warned that that the NHS workforce modernisation agenda is under threat because of creeping privatisation.
In its evidence to the Health Select Committee Inquiry into workforce needs and planning, UNISON underlines the positive role that Agenda for Change has played in setting the standard for equal pay systems across the public sector and beyond.
In addition, the union is calling for a radical shake-up of the recruitment of overseas nurses. The practice of taking nurses from abroad means that some developing countries are struggling to cope with their own healthcare needs. To combat this problem, UNISON is proposing that unqualified health service workers from overseas should be brought in and trained in the UK.
Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health, said: