Safe Staffing Levels

Conference notes the recurring theme in both the literature and the media of shortages of Registered Nursing Staff, appropriate skill mix and overall staffing levels and believes that the recent financial crisis has exposed the extent to which the NHS relies upon agency staff, bank staff and overtime – often unpaid – to carry out […]

Future Pay Determination in the NHS – an expanded pay review body

In the early 1980’s Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and other NHS staff took industrial action over pay. This action led to the creation of the Nurses and Other Health Professionals (Pay) Review Body which since its formation in 1984 has, in most years, recommended above inflation pay awards. Occupational Groups not covered by the Pay […]

Private Contractor Staff

Conference notes the ground-breaking deal made with the Government, NHS Employers, the Confederation of British Industry and the NHS Business Services Authority for Soft Facilities Management employees working for private contractors in October 2005. Following on from this similar agreements have been made in Scotland and Wales. The Joint Protocol began the process of raising […]

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 of Administrative & Clerical Services – England

Conference is encouraged by the events of this past year, where UNISON has given its support to the NHS Logistics strike in September 2006, the NHS Together Lobby in November 2006 and also the Outsourcing Conference in December 2006. Conference congratulates the members from NHS Logistics for their show of solidarity during the month of […]

Social Enterprises

This Conference rejects the model of service provision encapsulated in the Social Enterprise concept and reaffirms its opposition to Social or Community Enterprises taking over NHS services and staff. Despite our opposition, the government has established a Social Enterprise Unit within the Dept of Health, and is promoting the setting up of such bodies to […]

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 […]

Stop Privatisation and Marketisation of Our NHS

Conference is outraged that a Labour government is continuing to privatise NHS service and staff. Conference reaffirms our total opposition to the privation and marketisation of the NHS, in whatever from(such PFI and LIFT, use of the private sector to carry out NHS work, transfer of service to private sector ownership or management, Independent Sector […]

CAMPAIGN AGAINST PROFIT MOTIVES IN THE NHS

This conference condemns attempts by some Trusts to introduce individual pay packages and profit sharing schemes in the NHS noting that the profit motive should have no place in our NHS. Accordingly conference urges Branches to oppose such moves in their areas through campaigns etc. Conference also urges Branches to affiliate to the Socialist Health […]

ZERO TOLERANCE IN CRITICAL CARE AREAS

This Conference asks the Service Group Executive to mount national action to drive forward the Zero Tolerance campaign of no verbal abuse, aggression or unacceptable behaviour towards healthcare staff. Conference is particularly concerned at the growing problem of aggression from visitors to frontline staff such as bedside nurses working in clinical areas in High Dependency, […]

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, […]

NURSE PRESCRIBING

This conference is concerned that nurse prescribing is not being introduced in a properly co-ordinated manner. We therefore call on the Health Group Executive to meet urgently with the Department of Health with a view to the DoH:- 1.Producing guidelines to ensure a common standard of non medical prescribing is provided in all Trusts in […]

COMMISSIONING A PATIENT LED NHS

This Conference notes that many UNISON members employed by Primary Care Trusts are currently going through major reorganisations and job changes as a result of the government’s “Commissioning a Patient-led NHS”and the subsequent reconfiguration of PCTs. In some areas, such as the North East, these changes have been made more complicated by the “smoke and […]

FUND THE NHS NOT WAR AND WEAPONS

This Conference notes that the government has spent thousands of millions of pounds on the war and occupation in Iraq, and is now considering spending further millions on renewing the trident nuclear submarines and missiles. This is at the same time as the government is forcing NHS Trusts to cut their expenditure in order to […]

OVERSEAS NURSES

There has been much media speculation of late that overseas nurses will be barred from employment in an attempt to help home grown candidates. This speculation is surprising given that the UK has been in a dilemma for a number of years owing to the massive shortage of qualified specialist nurses. Indeed, the government has […]