Providers and Consumers Working Together

Conference regrets that UNISON’s press statements on public services are often perceived as the voice only of the providers of services. UNISON’s members, particularly retired members, are also consumers of services with similar concerns to those working in those services and are committed to the provision of quality public services . Conference therefore asks the […]

Contrast Printing

Conference is alarmed by the continued use of small letters and the inappropriate use of colour printing on coloured paper so frequently used in publications. These practices are not acceptable to the elderly. Conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to seek advice from UNISON’s National Disabled Members’ Committee and to take up this […]

Entitlements to Health and Social Care

Conference believes that many older people are not fully aware of their entitlements to receive proper health and social care, in a way which suits their own circumstances. Where this is the case, patients may be deprived of their entitlements by misleading information from health care providers under financial pressure to cut services. Particular issues […]

Pensioners Holiday Insurance

Conference notes that pensioners, especially those over 80 years of age when seeking holiday insurance are either being refused insurance or being asked to pay exhorbitant rates. At present insurance to Europe if you are over 75 years of age costs £96 a couple for two weeks and insurers do not provide yearly travel insurance […]

Elder Abuse: Human Rights in Private Care Homes

In view of the fact that the rights of elderly people in private rest homes are not covered by the Human Rights Act, Conference urges the National Retired Members’ Committee to take note of recent well documented cases of abuse of elderly people in these institutions and to campaign for the section of the Human […]

Fuel Poverty

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, in his March 2006 budget, totally ignored the needs of pensioners coping with higher fuel bills. Fuel poverty is described as being when a household spends at least 10 percent of its income on fuel costs. The fuel allowance, which has remained at £200 since 2003, was not […]

Utilities V Pensions

Once again, this vital issue is being raised at this Conference. Pensioners across the country are now facing yet again massive increases in utility bills. The increases in occupational and Government pensions do not meet the increases imposed by the utilities. This Conference instructs the National Retired Members Committee and calls on the National Executive […]

Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Support Services (CATS)

Conference notes the Government’s latest interference with the National Health Service (NHS) So far, two insert “CATS (Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Support Services) have been agreed in Lancashire, both in the same NHS Foundation Trust, which covers two hospitals. One is to be provided by a South African company and sited near to one of […]

Transport Public Hospital Bus Passes

Conference notes that pensioners who are sent to hospital long distances from their homes are being denied hospital transport. Large parts of the country have no direct public transport to hospitals, forcing some pensioners to pay as much as £100 return taxi fare to attend a hospital appointment. Even pensioners needing chemotherapy treatment for cancer […]

Toilets

Conference calls upon the National Executive Council and the National Retired Members’ Committee to pressurise local authorities to stop the closure of public conveniences, as this particularly affects the older people and the disabled. Provision of toilets should be a statutory requirement for local authorities.

Homecare Services

Conference notes with despair the continuing outsourcing of local authority services. Many of the services have a direct effect upon retired members. The latest services currently being targeted for privatisation is homecare. Retired citizens are the major users of this service. Conference therefore , whilst congratulating UNISON on its Save Our Homecare Services Campaign which […]

Defending Agenda for Change

Conference notes that as we move onwards from Agenda for Change (AFC) implementation and assimilation, we are starting to lose the valuable skills of staff side job evaluators, job matchers and KSF advisors. As local staff sides (and in particular the participation of UNISON representatives), we are increasingly finding ourselves with diminishing resources resulting in […]

Privatisation and Private Consultancy Firms

This Conference views with disgust how in the 10 years of a New Labour Government the large legal and accountancy firms have been able to increase their financial turnover and profits from the public pulse strings. The grand offices of these organizations such as Herbert Smith, Eversheds, Price Waterhouse Cooper and KPMG have been furnished […]

NO CUTS – KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC

Conference notes with deep concern the scale of cuts inflicted on the NHS, particularly over the last two years, with reports of thousands of job losses, and the closure of wards, departments and threats to close whole hospitals in many parts of the country. Conference also notes the powerful local public resistance to these cuts, […]

HEALTH CARE ASSISTANTS REGISTRATION AND TRAINING

Conference notes UNISON’s campaign for Healthcare Assistants to be regulated, and the outcome of our consultation identified their wish to be regulated by the Health Professions Council. However, Conference also notes with strong concern that training for HCAs has been cut back in many areas as a result of the financial crisis, caused by the […]