Conference welcomes the creation of the National Ambulance Partnership Forum and notes that it has been set up to: 1.Provide a means to communicate and share a common understanding of the transformational national agenda facing ambulance services in light of: §‘Taking Healthcare to the Patient’ – service delivery, workforce developments, education & training; §The changing […]
Conference motions
The Government’s so-called reforms of the NHS are gathering pace and are preparing the way for more privatisation. On 28 July UNISON reps in the Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) were informed that the PPD is looking at options to privatise the services. This is in addition to the […]
Conference notes that far from being the best ever year the last 12 months have been one of the worst for the NHS and its workforce. We have seen Trust after Trust facing a financial crisis whilst at the same time more public money than ever is pouring into the private health sector. It is […]
Around 64% of people would choose to die at home if they had a terminal illness and yet a little over 20% actually do so. In fact, 56% of people die in hospital, though that is the preference of only 11% of the population. Clearly, the healthcare system is failing to meet patients’ wishes in […]
This Conference notes with concern the Department of Health’s (DoH) rollout of its Decontamination Strategy and sees this as a further step in the privatisation and marketisation of services in the NHS. In a national survey of decontamination services carried out by the DoH in 2001 it found that there were 182 acute NHS Trusts […]
Conference recognises the fact that Ambulance workers, particularly those on the front line, have one of the highest incidences of ill-health retirement in the NHS. Some of the causes of this are inherent in the job, as lifting heavy patients in confined spaces and attending emergencies at insecure locations cannot be avoided without severely compromising […]
Conference notes that the Improving Working Lives Standard (IWL) was originally designed to serve as a blueprint by which NHS employers and staff in England measured the management of human resources and how organisations were kite-marked against their ability to demonstrate a commitment to improving the working lives of their employees. Conference recognises that genuine […]
Conference welcomes the publication of the Health Select Committee’s report into wave one of the Independent Sector Treatment Centre programme (ISTCs) following the conclusion of its inquiry in July 2006. In particular its conclusions that: 1.ISTCs had not made a major direct contribution to increased capacity 2.ISTCs are not necessarily more efficient than NHS Treatment […]
Conference notes the current trend in government policy towards shifting the balance of health care provision towards primary care and away from acute sector provision. Conference reaffirms its opposition to the continued move towards increasing contestability and fragmentation in the provision of primary care services. Conference believes that this move will lead to a poorer […]
Conference welcomes UNISON’s excellent work in highlighting the issue of bullying and harassment. Bullying and harassment is one of the leading causes of stress and ill health in the workplace. Bullying is unacceptable, offensive, intimidating, malicious, insulting or humiliating behavior. It is an abuse of power that attempts to undermine staff. Harassment is conduct that […]
Conference notes with serious concern the unprecedented level of spending by the Government on global management consultants that advise on the marketisation and privatisation of the NHS. Public money paid to McKinsey Consultancy over the last 3 years has dramatically accelerated from spending £250 thousand in 2004 to £4 million in 2005 to almost £10 […]
Conference notes with alarm the savage reductions in staffing levels of donor collection staff and the closure of processing centres. The reduction of staff in teams has meant consistent understaffing, leading to stress, extended working days with the resultant damage to personal and family life. Whilst UNISON recognises the fall in demand for blood, it […]
Conference notes the report on the progress towards agreeing a new unsocial hours payment scheme for all NHS workers covered by the Agenda for Change agreement. We are concerned that these proposals will leave members in some branches worse off than the interim arrangements – for example ambulance members working a full 24 hour rota. […]
Conference acknowledges the significant progress made by the union in recent years in improving pay, terms and conditions for the overwhelming majority of UNISON members working in the NHS. This progress includes: ·The Agenda for Change agreement that harmonised terms and conditions for all NHS workers (excluding doctors and dentists) ·An equality proofed pay structure […]
2007 marks a significant step forward for the equalities agenda, with a raft of legislation being introduced – we have already seen the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, which have had a direct impact on staff. Equality issues are one area of work where we can work jointly in partnership with employers to establish best […]