Pensions

Conference notes the final offer on the NHS Pension Scheme for England and Wales was published on 9 March 2012. UNISON members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently being balloted on the offer with full information on what it will mean for them and the consequences of rejection. Conference deplores the decision of […]

CHALLENGING RACISM DEFENDING PUBLIC SERVICES

Conference notes with deep concern new research by UNISON on the disproportionate impact of public service cuts on Black workers. This research, conducted as part of UNISON’s Challenging Racism in the Workplace and piloted in Greater London in November- December 2011 and results of which were analysed in January 2012 showed that Black women working […]

Defend the Knowledge and Skills Framework and promote the Equality Agenda

Conference notes that the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) has had a turbulent integration within the NHS. There have been widespread variations regarding the success of the KSF across NHS employers. Conference remains committed to the belief that KSF is an in invaluable tool in the NHS and used properly it is a method of […]

Workforce Reprofiling: Downbanding by another name

Conference is concerned at reports that some NHS Trusts are undertaking mass downbanding of staff to save costs, often under the pretext of skill mix reviews or other service redesign. While it is understandable that from time to time service redesign will be appropriate, this should only be driven by quality improvement and not solely […]

Health and Social Care Bill

Conference reaffirms its complete opposition to the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill. Conference believes that the Bill is the biggest threat to the English NHS in its 64 year history. Despite minor changes made by the so-called “listening exercise”, the fundamental dangers of privatisation, fragmentation, instability and inequity remain. The Bill will turn the […]

Safe Staffing Levels and Patient Ratios

UNISON Health conference expresses serious concern about employers’ attempts to dilute skill mix and staffing levels as part of cost-cutting within the NHS and the impact which this can have on patient safety. We note a huge amount of variability in workforce planning, together with scientific evidence demonstrating the value of appropriate skill mixes to […]

Partnership Working Under Pressure

Conference notes the acute challenges our members face in the current climate of radical structural reforms (in England), budgetary constraints and efficiency savings targets, all of which are taking a serious toll on the NHS workforce. Employers under pressure to reduce costs are looking at every conceivable way to save money. Increasing numbers are tampering […]

Campaign against the cuts

Conference notes the Tory led attack on public services and the NHS across the UK. In Northern Ireland the £4.3 billion cut to the block grant to Northern Ireland has had a hugely detrimental impact on public service delivery. Conference is very aware of the significant drain on our Health and Social Care service budgets. […]

Oppose privatisation

Despite successfully fighting privatisation in the majority of the health service, UNISON in Northern Ireland, like other regions, is battling the continued outsourcing of domiciliary care services to the private sector. There is also a continued push for shared services across the health service. Our members are deeply worried about compulsory relocation and redundancies. Conference […]

Disability discriminination and health workers

This conference is concerned that working conditions for health members are deteriorating and that the use of policies and procedures are being used to the particular detriment of disabled members, eroding both their opportunities for career progression at work and their general living standards. Health employers appear to be failing to meet their employment responsibilities […]

Pensions and disabled members

Drawing a pension is an important part of financial independence in older age. For disabled workers low pay, periods of unemployment, the additional costs associated with being disabled and rising living costs may make it seem too expensive to join – or to stay in – an occupational pension scheme. Government attacks on our pensions […]

Protecting the NHS from theft and fraud

This Conference believes that the Health and Social Care Bill as drafted will make the National Health Service a soft target for thieves and fraudsters. Conference notes with concern that the Bill does not make statutory provision for the prevention, detection or investigation of fraud and theft from the National Health Service and has left […]

Disability Leave Scheme

Conference notes that Disability Leave Scheme is not used consistently across all NHS employers because it may not be supported or easily available to employees within their NHS organisation. Disability Leave Scheme is fundamental in supporting employees with disabilities whose condition may have deteriorated or are receiving new medication, with a period of time off […]

Defending Admin & Clerical Jobs in the NHS

Conference is proud of the approach that UNISON has taken over the years that the NHS only functions efficiently because of “the whole team”. Conference notes that the Autumn Statement almost doubled the numbers of public service staff who will lose their jobs as part of the austerity UK Government’s programme. Conference believes that the […]

Sharps injuries and ancillary staff

This conference would like to reiterate that within the NHS sharps injuries affect both clinical and non-clinical staff. Although injuries to nurses have understandably attracted the media attention (at least 4 UK nurses are known to have died from occupationally acquired blood borne viruses) cleaning staff are particularly at risk as it is they who […]