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 […]
Conference motions
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, […]
Conference recognises present policies do not meet the needs of the increasing number of older people. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee and calls upon the National Executive Council to make representations to the Government that: appropriate housing policies should be promoted that ensure the provision of adequate housing supply for older and disabled […]
Conference fully supports the UNISON campaign for transparency and better governance with regard to the pension boards responsible for the pensions of our members, including retired members. It also supports the encouragement of UNISON members to become Member Nominated Representatives (MNRs) on those boards. It is vital to recognise the opportunity this presents to encourage […]
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 […]
Conference welcomes the publication of Time to Care, UNISON’s Report into home care and an Ethical Care Charter for commissioning home care which sets out the following principles: 1. Visits shall be based on client need and appropriate care will be provided. Time allocated will match need and 15 minutes will not generally be appropriate […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
Conference has on several occasions made policies regarding our determination to hang on to the small (but valuable and much valued) universal benefits elderly people have such as bus passes, free TV licenses etc. We must now recognise that there is yet another political threat to these: leading UKIP figures have made no secret of […]
Conference notes that the proposals in the Government’s Pensions Bill – self-praised by them as a way of making the state pensions system clearer and fairer – do neither of these things, do nothing for existing pensioners, and would result in a multi-tier pensions system so complicated that not only pensioners but probably even those […]
Conference recognises that as we get older, medically more things are prone to go wrong. Fortunately, both well established and new drugs can be prescribed which assist in the management of acute and chronic conditions in older people. We can continue to lead active, useful and interesting lives long after our parents would have succumbed […]
Conference is very concerned that the Basic State Pension (BSP) has remained below the poverty level for many years. In April 2014, it was increased to £113.10 per week for a single pensioner, a rise of £2.95 per week. The National Pensioners Convention statistic for the poverty level is £175. The deficit of £64.90 is […]