FUTURE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE IN ENGLAND

This Conference notes the publication in September of the Final Report of the Commission on the Future of Health and social Care in England issued by the King’s Fund. This Report is concerned with the provision and affordability of Social Care. Some organisations representing older people have already welcomed the fact that the provision of […]

Cocoa Tins and String

Conference is very concerned that, as more and more important communications are made online solely, retired members who do not have computer access (except for the limited use available in public libraries – where they have not been closed) are being left out and left behind. Regions and large Branches, let alone UNISON Head Office, […]

Travel Insurance

Conference notes with concern the lack of reviewing of the age of the older population when Travel Insurance is required. Insurance companies take no consideration for anyone becoming “over 70 years of age” and premiums are increased on age alone. Government policy on retirement age is to increase the age of retirement. Therefore we instruct […]

RESTRUCTURING ANNUAL RETIRED MEMBERS’ CONFERENCE

Conference acknowledges that after the narrow defeat on a card vote of motion 32 at last year’s conference the issue of the structure of Retired Members Conference needs to be looked at in more depth. In recent years Conference has allowed more time for debate of motions at the beginning of the agenda often to […]

Ethical Care Charter

Homecare workers are personally propping up a deteriorating system of adult social care but are being pushed to breaking point. That they are still willing to deliver good levels of care in spite of the system is nothing short of heroic. For the system to work it needs to be underpinned by adequate funding and […]

WIDER SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF TREATMENT

Conference notes that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has rejected a proposal from the Department of Health that its assessment of new medicines should include the evaluation of wider societal benefit (WSB). Wider Societal Benefit is a measure of the impact of a treatment on the extent to which people living […]

FUNDING FOR RETIRED MEMBER ACTIVITY

Conference notes that the National Executive Council has submitted several rule changes to National Delegate Conference including one on adequate and agreed funding for retired member activity. Conference also notes the existence of Regional Pools. These Regional Pools are intended to be an additional source of branch funding for specific items where the branch could […]

Amendment to Standing Orders – Standing Order 3

Add at end of Standing Order 3.1 A regional delegate may move a motion or amendment submitted by a Branch within that Region if the Branch concerned is unable to be present at the Conference. Delete existing 3.3 Renumber 3.4 as 3.3.

Ageing Well in UNISON

Conference recognises that one of the factors to account for the growth of UNISON’s Retired Members’ Organisation is growing longevity. While this mainly consists of existing members growing older there are also instances of former members taking up retired membership many years after they left work. Conference asserts that longevity is an asset not a […]

CARE HOME STAFF

Conference notes with concern that the conditions of service of Care Staff is a real scandal and as a result the frail, elderly people are not receiving the level of service they should. A study by Baroness Kingsmill has stated that frail elderly people are being exposed to neglect and abuse because caring and compassionate […]

Threat to the Bus Pass and Universal Benefits

Conference is very concerned that the concessionary bus pass for pensioners is being attacked and no political party has stated that it will be retained after the 2015 election. Withdrawing the bus pass from pensioners will need another Act of Parliament (original Transport Act 2008) but that won’t stop this Government or any other one […]

Winter Fuel Allowance: Time for an Increase

Conference is very concerned that the Winter Fuel Allowance payments were included in the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne’s Budget statement on 19 March 2014, when he stated that benefits will be capped in 2015/16. The statistic (National Pensioners Convention) for the 2013/14 winter is that 31,000 pensioners died of cold-related diseases. The United […]

Communications

The National Retired Members’ Committee continues to work to ensure that the UNISON website serves as an efficient means of communicating with over 166,000 Retired members. It is vital that members are provided with information about campaigns that they can get involved with and the activities being undertaken by UNISON. Conference notes that since the […]

Hands off Universal Benefits

Conference opposes any attempts by Governments across the UK to cut universal benefits for older people such as the winter fuel payment, free bus pass, free prescriptions and free TV licences. These benefits are essential to ensuring a decent standard of living and social inclusion for millions of pensioners who face daily poverty, fuel poverty […]