Building Strong Branch Organisation – Partnership Working and Staff Involvement

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 […]

NHS Financial Flows

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 […]

Substitute Sector Representatives on the Service Group Executive

This Conference agrees to amend the Health Group Structures document to allow for the provision of substitutes for Sector Committee representatives on the Service Group Executive Committee.

Practitioners in Emergency Care (P.E.C.S)

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 […]

Non-Payment of Enhancements when Nurses are Injured at Work

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 […]

National Care Standards Commission Failure to Consult

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 […]

Internationally Recruited Nurses

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 […]

National Minimum Standards for Care Homes

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 […]

Pickering Report

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 […]

Future Structure of UNISON’s Retired Members’ Organisation

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 […]

Bargaining on Equality

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 […]

UNISON Conference Standing Orders

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 […]

Ending Low Pay

Conference welcomes the statement in May last year by the Minister for Equalities and Women that “pink pounds” have created a more tolerant society towards lesbians and gay men. Conference agrees that whether one is treated with dignity and respect depends largely on whether you have money to spend. Conference therefore congratulates negotiators throughout the […]

Broadening the Trade Union Movement’s Understanding of Equality

Conference welcomes the increasing recognition of lesbian and gay rights as bread and butter trade union issues, evidenced by: 1.The solid body of UNISON policy and work on lesbian and gay equality; 2. 2. ever increasing numbers of unions represented at the TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference; 3. the success of the 2nd […]

Retired Members’ Conference Dates

This Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to negotiate with the Conference Section for all future National Retired Members’ Conferences to be held on Wednesdays, with workshops on Tuesdays.