The public service data blog

Using data to tell the story of our changing public services

Are we running out of nurses? How many libraries in your area have shut down? Has your local police force grown or shrunk?

Many of the important questions about our public services can be answered by looking at data. On the public service data blog we’ll be tracking down the relevant spreadsheets, diving into the numbers and explaining what we find.

If you’re a UNISON activist campaigning around an issue, the public service data blog will arm you with the numbers you need to make your case and make change happen.

Got a topic you want us to explore? Get in touch. Because there’s power in numbers.

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Posted on by Rosa Ellis

Data: why NHS workers quit

Analysing the government data on why NHS staff quit their jobs

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Posted on by Rosa Ellis

The UK’s disappearing meat hygiene inspectors

Between March 2013 and April 2017, the number of meat inspectors employed by the independent Food Standards Agency (FSA) dropped by 30%

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Violent crime is on the rise, but who is working to keep you safe?

Find out how many police officers, police staff and PCSOs you have in your area

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A return to justice: thanks to UNISON

New data shows employment tribunals are on the rise again – thanks to our Supreme Court victory
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The NHS crisis in five charts

Unless you’ve been truly hibernating so far this year, you will have heard that thousands of NHS operations have been cancelled. But what is the NHS winter crisis?

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What happens if public service workers can’t afford to live near their work?

The cost of housing in London and the impact on public services

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Photo credit: Ben Brooksbank
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From explosions to asbestos – the history of health and safety

Find out how we got to where we are with health and safety regulation

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Working in mental health: the problems in five charts

It’s world mental health day this Tuesday (10 October) so to mark the occasion we’re looking at some data that shows what’s happening to mental health service users

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Black workers hit harder by austerity

In June this year, UNISON ran a survey to find out about members’ financial situations, and some of the results are shocking, especially when it came to our Black members.

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Are we heading for a nurse and midwife crisis?

The media is full of reports that we are in, or heading towards, a nursing crisis. That is to say, a huge shortage of them. But are we really? We dive into the data to find out.

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When data wins in court

Sometimes data tells you an interesting story, sometimes it reveals hidden truths, and sometimes it wins you a four-year legal battle with the government

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Pay cap: the numbers behind public sector pay

Public sector pay is in the news – but what exactly are the numbers behind the pay cap?

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Back of a PCSO
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Policing by numbers

The number of police officers on our streets – so called bobbies on the beat – are frequently covered in the media. But we hear less about how many police staff those officers have working with them.

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Older people are not getting the homecare they need

The data on homecare for over 65s

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Librarian Shazzia Rock reads to children at her library
Posted on by Rosa Ellis

Reading between the lines: what’s going on with our libraries?

Libraries are under threat – what’s happening with them in your area?

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