Conference notes that on 20th December 2023, the Westminster Health Secretary wrote to the NHS Pay Review Body to formally commence the 2024-5 pay round – asking it to make recommendations on pay for the Agenda for Change (AfC) workforce in England. On 10th January 2024 the Northern Ireland Department of Health followed suit and […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that on 11th January 2024 the Department for Health and Social Care published a consultation “to consider the benefits and challenges of a separate pay spine for nursing staff, and to explore other potential approaches to supporting the career progression and professional development of nurses.” The consultation, which covers England only, put forward […]
Conference is concerned by the heated and at times unpleasant debate that has been growing around the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) in the NHS. Conference notes that several issues have caused the debate to intensify in recent weeks – the laying of the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order (AAPAO) […]
Equal pay is nothing new, in 1910 Mary Macarthur led the women chain makers of Cradley Heath to victory in their fight for a living wage by leading a strike to force the employers to implement the rise. In 1968 a group of women workers followed suit at the Ford factory in Dagenham which led […]
One Team – Admin Charter for Change Conference notes that administrative and clerical support staff are the backbone of the NHS providing a wide range of essential services that underpin the delivery of healthcare. Conference also notes that in a recent UNISON member survey of admin and clerical staff, members in these roles said they […]
2023 was the Year of Black workers for UNISON. This followed the COVID pandemic, during which the inequalities experienced by Black staff in health and social care were exposed more than ever before. An inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission into the treatment of lower-paid ethnic minority healthcare workers in health and social […]
Conference notes that a ‘reasonable adjustment’ is a change to the work environment or to a workplace policy, criteria or practice, that aims to remove or minimise disadvantages experienced by disabled employees and job applicants. The Equality Act 2010 (and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland) gives disabled workers the right to reasonable […]
Healthcare assistants (HCAs), including healthcare, community and maternity support workers, are vital to the NHS. Without them, our health service simply could not function. Conference notes that it was now ten years ago when the Cavendish review examined the role of HCAs in England and identified that this group of staff were often ‘undervalued and […]
Conference notes that data from the NHS Workplace Disability Equality Standard (WDES) shows that 28% of disabled workers in the NHS in England still aren’t getting the reasonable adjustments they should be entitled to in order to break down the barriers they face in the workplace. One effective way of ensuring more disabled workers in […]
Conference notes that 2.6m people in the UK are now on long term sick leave and staff in the health sector are likely to be impacted more than other sectors due to unsustainable workloads. Many people on long term sick leave will meet the Equality Act definition of a disabled person and as such should […]
Conference notes that the NHS is best placed to deliver health services to the public, and to deliver value for money. Conference notes that the NHS has successfully delivered sexual health services in Newcastle since its creation, and up until recently, this was commissioned by the local authority. From 2023, this service will be provided […]
Conference celebrates that 2024 is UNISON’s year of the LGBT+ workers. This is an opportunity to not only showcase the amazing work the LGBT+ self-organised group has done over our history, but it will also be a chance to highlight the continued discrimination faced by LGBT+ members in Health and what we can do to […]
Conference recognises the widespread under funding within the NHS in the United Kingdom today. Many services are at breaking point or already broken. Our members are suffering as a result. Within the Trust our branch represents, we provide mental health and learning disability services, both of which are under immense pressure from years of underfunding […]
Conference notes the growing concerns raised by UNISON members in Northern Ireland. Our members applaud and support safeguarding for patients, clients and the most vulnerable but the balance needs to be shifted back to also safeguard our staff. Conference notes however how our members have been increasingly aware of the rise of recordings taken in […]
In March 2023 the Office of National Statistics estimated that 1.9 million people in the UK were experiencing Long Covid. The TUC and the Long Covid Support Group published research, in the same month, stated that 66% of people with Long Covid have experienced unfair treatment at work. The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has recommended […]