UNISON has welcomed Camilla Cavendish’s call for the Government to make a “strong statement” in support of Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) when it responds to her review into HCAs and care workers, expected this week.
Her remarks followed a UNISON survey that revealed just 7% of HCAs feel valued by the Government
Speaking at UNISON’s HCA Conference in Liverpool – the first conference she has spoken at since the publication of her report and recommendations in July – Ms Cavendish told delegates “I hope my review can make your voice a bit louder.”
Gail Adams, UNISON’s Head of Nursing, said:
“For too long HCAs have been overlooked. At best they have been patronised, at worst they have been ignored, and what they say and what they do has long been unrecognised.
“Camilla Cavendish’s review has shone a light on parts of health and social care and echoes many reports published by UNISON. Health and Social Care Assistants are the backbone of our service, often caring for the most vulnerable in society and their input into this review should be fundamental to shaping the future of the service.”
Ms Cavendish admitted that during her review she “realised how disconnected the landscape is”, and revealed she is concerned about the “us and them” mentality of some nurses and HCAs.
“I still find it mystifying that HCAs have not had more of a voice. It was clear to me during the review that UNISON has done the most research to highlight this.
“There were a lot of HCAs who came to the focus groups who didn’t feel valued. This is something that has gone fundamentally wrong in the system. All the literature shows that working as part of a team increases the quality of patient care.
“The number of band 2s* has gone up slightly since 2008 and band 3s have gone down but this bears little resemblance to what people are doing in the real world.
“When I started my review I was aware that there is a big group of people who are so important to the NHS. My view then was that this was a really important workforce that didn’t have much of a voice, but the reality is far worse. When I started working on the report I discovered that the Department of Health had no national record of the qualifications that HCAs have, or how many there are in this workforce. I think this is a reflection of how complex this workforce is.”
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