Conference expresses its sympathy to those health workers and their families that have become stranded abroad due to the flight restrictions caused by the Icelandic volcano. However, Conference has become increasingly concerned at reports from NHS Trusts and other NHS employers that staff who are stranded and phoning in are being told that they will […]
Conference motions
Conference recognises that the political and economic challenges facing the NHS across the UK in the immediate future and the longer term require UNISON to develop a coherent strategy for both defending and improving future pay, terms and conditions. Whilst there are increasing differences in the way in which the four UK administrations choose to […]
UNISON welcomes the report by Robert Francis QC into the care that patients received at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009. The report published on 24 February 2010 makes harrowing reading for patients, staff and the service. The Francis report supports many of the findings of the Healthcare Commission (now the Care […]
This Conference notes that: 1)At a meeting with NHS Derby City – Family Health Services staff, held on Tuesday 6th April 2010, proposals were presented to outsource all Family Health Services (FHS) functions in the East Midlands, to NHS Shared Business Services (SBS): thereby creating a real threat to jobs and services across the nine […]
2010 is a general election year and politicians from all parties will want to claim they have the NHS’ interests at heart and services will be safe with them. In reality the staff know that services have been trimmed and cut over many years now and bear no resemblance to the holistic care package that […]
Conference notes UNISON’s long-established policy of opposition and resistance to privatisation and marketisation in the NHS. We continue to lead the way in challenging government reforms that threaten to undermine the NHS through increased competition and greater private sector involvement in health care. UNISON branches and members have been at the forefront of campaigns over […]
This conference is concerned about the growing numbers of staff who are being downgraded following organisational changes within NHS trusts. Conference notes that UNISON fought long and hard to get a new set of terms and conditions in the health service. Agenda for Change is a UK wide, nationally negotiated agreement which delivers equality for […]
Conference notes that the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) is the custom-built development tool that supports career and pay progression for all NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts. As an integral part of Agenda for Change, the KSF gives staff a contractual right to access learning and development opportunities at work. Conference recognises […]
Conference welcomes and endorses the Million Voices for Public Services campaign, which highlights that UNISON members care passionately about the services they provide and want to see changes that put people before profit and public interest before private greed. As the largest trade union in health, UNISON is best placed to ensure that those working […]
Conference welcomes the achievements that partnership working at national, regional and local level has brought over the past decade. UNISON has worked to pioneer partnership working throughout the NHS and in all four countries of the UK. The experience has shown conclusively that partnership can deliver real gains for health staff and union members as […]
This Conference notes the increasing challenges facing the nursing and midwifery family workforce. Following the Darzi Review nurses are being subjected to increasing scrutiny. They are expected to demonstrate their contribution to patient and service-level outcomes, using yet to be fully determined metrics, which are based mainly on the negative elements of care for example […]
Conference notes that in the current financial climate many NHS organisations are not taking into account the valuable role therapy services play in delivering efficient, cost-effective and patient-centred services. Many NHS organisations need to make significant financial savings, causing them to cut therapy services and freeze vacant posts. This short-sighted approach fails to recognise the […]
Conference notes the changes to the NHS pension scheme and ill Health Retirement arrangements that have been in place since April 2008. Conference also notes there have been no extra groups of special classes for many years in the scheme, the last being Mental Health Officer status even though front line ambulance staff have campaigned […]
This Conference is concerned that government’s solution to the current recession is through cutting funding to health services is having a negative disproportionate impact on disabled employees. The evidence from the Disabled Members Self Organised Group is that disabled health staff are more vulnerable with regards to redundancy and employers are using false competency measures […]
Conference notes the importance of skill mix throughout the NHS workforce and by developing good workforce planning in Nursing and Allied Health Professional Services which delivers better, flexible patient care. However, replacing Bands 5, 6 and 7 Nursing and Allied Health Professional staff with Band 3-5 Clinical Support Worker, to reduce costs will only put […]