This conference is extremely concerned to note the continuing and increasing incidence of assaults on Ambulance Staffs. It welcomes the Government’s zero tolerance campaign aimed at reducing violence towards NHS staffs in general, but notes that frontline Ambulance Staffs remain particularly and unacceptably vulnerable. It therefore calls for a greater degree of consistency of approach […]
Conference motions
This conference notes the failure of successive Governments and NHS employers to introduce an early retirement position for frontline Ambulance staffs. It notes that nearly 70 per cent of these staffs retire by the age of 55 because of work-associated ill health and burnout. Many of these staffs are incapable of finding alternative employment as […]
Conference notes that on 1 December 2003, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations will come into force. Conference welcomes the new legislation, which will make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation in employment and training. From this date, there will at last be an equivalent level of protection against discrimination and harassment on […]
Conference welcomes the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 which place a positive duty on all public health bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination, and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations in all their functions. Conference believes that these provisions should be extended to cover all discrimination grounds to give a legislative […]
The issue of staff involvement has never been more important. The NHS is undergoing a radical shift in both structure and culture as it moves the balance of power from the centre to the frontline. If we are to succeed in moving decision making to frontline staff, we need to ensure that we have effective […]
This Conference notes with serious concern the Government’s plans for a new financial framework within the NHS, as outlined in the DOH consultation document, NHS Financial Flows – Introducing Payments By Results. These proposals set out plans to fundamentally change the way that funds flow through the NHS. They will have profound and potentially serious […]
Conference notes the introduction of P.E.C’s (Practitioners in Emergency Care). Conference also notes that: ·The present system encourages young, inexperienced graduates to become Paramedic Practitioners. This is an unsafe method of introducing additional staffing into the Ambulance Service; ·Budgetary concerns, funding and resource management issues mean that existing staff are denied the opportunity to access […]
Following the advice we received last year regarding the non-payment of enhancements when Nurses are sick due to an injury at work. It seems that Management and Staff Side have conflicting views. We insist that the SGE raise this issue with our Legal Department and the Department of Health as a matter of urgency, so […]
Conference welcomes the introduction of the National Care Standards Commission and the duty it has to raise standards across residential and nursing home care for people with learning disabilities and mental health illness. However, we have serious concerns about the way in which the Commission appears to have failed to consult with UNISON on a […]
Overseas Nurses are being let down by poorly designed and ill administered adaptation courses, particularly so in the field of mental health. The lack of national standards for adaptation programmes has resulted in many agencies offering so called adaptation programmes, which do not equip the nurse with the knowledge or skills to practice at a […]
This Conference is disappointed to note that when announcing the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes, the Health Minister, Alan Milburn, backtracked on some of the initial promises. As a result the National Minimum Standards will now apply guidelines on factors such as room size and single occupancy to new homes only. There will be […]
In July 2002, a Government appointment review by Alan Pickering, former chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds produced its report A Simpler Way to Better Pensions. This Conference believes that the proposals contained in the Pickering Report will have little impact on the current crisis and do nothing to boost employee confidence in […]
At the Retired Members’ Annual Conference 2001 delegates were informed that a final report on The Retired Members’ Organisaiton would be presented to and debated by conference 2002. To date 4 October 2002, this separate report has not been presented to delegates to the 2002 Conference. This conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members Committee […]
Conference notes that each national self-organised group and the National Young Members Forum can submit a total of two motions to service group conferences, although they can submit two motions and two amendments to National Delegate Conference. Conference recognises the key role of the self-organised groups and the National Young Members Forum in highlighting equalities […]
Conference notes that one of the most significant developments during UNISON’s first ten years is how central equalities issues have become to nearly everything the union does and that the self-organised groups have been the main single factor to make this so and keep it so. However, their work is often poorly integrated with collective […]