Nurse Training

Conference reaffirms previous UNISON commitment to: ·Ensure that the commissioning of nurse training numbers is based upon proper evaluation of workforce needs and planned for appropriately. ·Not exploit developing country’s labour markets in recruiting nurses to work in the UK. ·Support widening access initiatives towards the opening up of Higher Education to diverse students from […]

Apprenticeships in the Health Service

Conference welcomes the Department of Health’s increasing commitment to Apprenticeships, recognising that these provide a further means of attracting young people into the health workforce as well as providing existing staff in pay bands 1 to 4 with a new high quality opportunity to develop themselves and to progress in their careers. Apprenticeships are an […]

NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework

Conference notes that as an integral part of Agenda for Change, the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) is a crucial tool for supporting the effective delivery of health care services. It is designed to enable staff to develop the necessary skills to carry out their roles with efficiency and flexibility, creating a workforce that […]

Influencing the Procurement and Efficiency Agenda

Over the next five years local commissioners (Primary Care Trusts), will be reviewing most current contracts within the NHS and looking closely at value for money, while the remainder of local NHS providers will be moving forward to NHS Foundation Trust status. Conference re-affirms its opposition to all forms of market-testing, contestability and privatisation in […]

Commissioning and Procurement in the NHS

Conference notes the government’s World Class Commissioning programme which aims to transform the way health and care services are commissioned in England. Conference expresses its alarm that much of the focus of the World Class Commissioning programme is about stimulating the market and finding alternative providers to the NHS We restate our continued opposition to […]

Personalised Health Budgets in the NHS

Conference notes with serious concern the plans in Lord Darzi’s ‘High Quality Care for All’ report to pilot-test personal budgets and direct payments for long-term conditions in the NHS in England with a view to a national roll-out. Whilst conference supports the objective of empowering service users and, as much as possible, putting them in […]

Barriers to Attending LGBT Conference

Conference notes the importance of our union’s conferences, both in their democratic policy making role and also for the way they inform and inspire activists to return, re-energised, to their local union work. Conference notes with regret that only a minority of Energy branches send delegates to the annual UNISON lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender […]

A New Economy Based on Green Energy

Conference recognises that many members employed by Energy Companies are suffering from the effects of the current international financial crisis. Although companies continue to report healthy profits, some have implemented cost savings leading to job losses and plans to invest in new greener energy infrastructure have been subjected to further reviews. Conference believes that both […]

Public Ownership of the Utilities

Conference Notes: i)The economic crisis which has spread rapidly across the globe, forcing thousands of businesses into bankruptcy and millions of workers into unemployment and poverty; ii)The hundreds of billions of pounds of public money which has been spent by governments across the world trying to prop up the world financial system in order to […]

Sickness Absence Management

Conference notes with concern that many employers have introduced draconian measures to reduce rates of sickness absence. These measures often seek to diminish the status of GP’s certificates in favour of assessments by company appointed private Occupational Health practitioners. They also attempt to marginalise existing collective agreements of sickness absence and often make no distinction […]

Failing UK Energy Market

Conference reiterates its long held belief that privatisation of energy companies and liberalisation of the energy market have not worked in the long term interests of consumers, the wider community or the employees. An unacceptable number of people are falling into ‘fuel poverty’ as energy bills remain too high and incomes fall. Conference regrets that […]

Travel costs following organisational change

Conference calls on the HSGE to raise the issue of travel costs following organisational change at the NHS Staff Council. We believe that staff forced to relocate as a result of organisational change should 1. Be paid a full realistic cost for the additional travel incurred. 2. Be compensated for any additional costs such as […]

‘Special Class’ status in NHS pensions for front line ambulance staff

The NHS currently has two pension schemes operating. The “NHS Pension Scheme” has been offered to all staff who joined the NHS before 31 March 2008. The “New NHS Pension Scheme” has been offered to all staff joining since 1 April 2008. Staff in the original ‘NHS Pension Scheme’ have a one off option of […]

Organising Members in Mental Health services

Conference recognises that nationally Mental Health services have been underfunded for many years, and still remain a ‘Cinderella’ service in the NHS. One effect of this is that mental health workers are not seen as having a high status within the NHS, and other health workers may have little knowledge or understanding of their position. […]

Subsistence and Overnight Allowances for NHS Staff

Conference passed a motion in 2006 that asked the Service Group Executive to call on the NHS Staff Council to address the lack of increase to subsistence and overnight allowances for staff. The motion requested that as a matter of urgency, they consider: i.Raising subsistence allowances to the level they would have reached if year-on-year […]