“Let’s work together to make this new hospital a success,” general secretary Dave Prentis said as he opened a new UNISON shop in Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital today.
Mr Prentis and UNISON head of health Christina McAnea met patients and staff, including UNISON members, as they were given a tour of the hospital, which itself was only opened last month.
Mr Prentis and Ms McAnea heard from UNISON members about their early experiences of working in the new buildings.
“It’s impossible to build a hospital as big and complex as this and for it not to have a few teething problems,” said Mr Prentis.
“Our members see things that hospital managers who are running a big hospital can sometimes miss. And they will have good ideas about how we can improve patient care.
“If everyone works together, this fantastic new hospital could meet its vision of providing world-leading patient care for many years to come.”
UNISON is the largest union in the new hospital, added the general secretary, “and we are recruiting many new members every week.
“It’s important that I hear direct from them about both good and bad issues they face when providing day-to-day patient care.”
The dedicated UNISON shop is situated in the hospital’s main thoroughfare, which features a number of shops, a cafe and a restaurant.
The union shop is one of a number of shop-style branch offices across the UK which help make UNISON more visible in the community.
They are designed to raise the union’s profile among potential members and the wider public, as well as offer a more accessible and usable facility for existing members.
Mr Prentis said the shop at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital be “a great asset” as “a place where UNISON members can join up, get advice and support, and report problems.”
