Violence

Currently violence against NHS staff is high and rising. Nurses are four times more likely than teachers or shop assistants to be the subject of a violent assault at work. During 2002, 115,000 incidents were reported that caused injury and distress to individuals working in the NHS. These involved problems with absence, low morale and […]

Campaign for 35 hour week

This Conference notes that for some years we have had a policy supporting the call for a 35 hour week for all health workers, with no loss of pay. If the Agenda For Change proposals are agreed, some health workers would have their hours reduced (in some cases by stages) to 37.5 hours, but others […]

Student Nurse Recruitment Strategy

This Conference notes the impact of our student nurse recruitment strategy. This Conference also congratulates those involved in recruitment into UNISON which constantly recruits more than competitor unions. Conference notes however the competitive “market” that exists with student nurses. This Conference resolves to review the present situation with regards to student nurse recruitment and report […]

Agenda for Change – Second Ballot – Results by Country

Given the variety of pay rates and terms and conditions that have developed over the years across the different countries of the UK, Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to ensure that members voting in the second Agenda for Change ballot are identified according to the country in which they work and for the results […]

Fast Tracking NHS Staff back to work

Conference notes that despite a wide range of positive initiatives to recruit staff there is still a shortage of staff working in the NHS. Positive recruitment initiatives only partly meet the challenging needs of the NHS. Retention of staff is equally if not more important in maintaining service delivery and continuity of staffing skills and […]

Keep the NHS Public

This Conference is deeply disappointed that the Government won a narrow majority to establish Foundation Trusts. However it believes that the strong campaign of opposition led by UNISON at all levels of the organisation achieved significant concessions from the Government. The NHS continues to face significant attacks from the privateers both within and outside of […]

Access to Training and Education for “Non-Professional Staff”

Conference is concerned that access to training and education for “non-professional” staff is very limited or in reality non-existent in some workplaces. All staff in the NHS are important and essential to the delivery of services in the NHS. Therefore all staff should have equal access to training and education. Staff classified as “professional” are […]

Student Nurse Training – Secondment Opportunity

Conference welcomes the increased opportunities in certain areas for existing staff to undertake Nurse Training as part of a secondment opportunity. This Conference believes that by utilising the skills and experience of existing health workers all of the NHS will benefit with increased recruitment and importantly retention of Nursing Staff. This Conference however notes with […]

Recruitment and Representation of Senior Managers

This Conference is deeply concerned at the levels of membership amongst Senior Managers in Health branches. UNISON is rightly proud of being the major public sector union and in representing all grades of staff. However research shows very low levels of membership density amongst Senior Managers. We call upon the Health Group Executive to: 1.Work […]

Pay Negotiation and the decision-making process

This Conference reaffirms UNISON’s aim of working “To Improve the pay and conditions of members and promote their interests”, and recognises that our involvement in reaching agreements on behalf of members is legally empowered through individual contracts of employment. It is noted that contracts based on, or “mirroring” nationally determined pay and conditions, invariably refer […]

Privatisation of the NHS – Diagnostic Treatment Centres

Conference, concerned at the gradual privatisation of the NHS, believes that the development of Private Diagnostic and Treatment Centres (DTC’s) in particular could have a number of significant disadvantages for the NHS overall and for staff working in DTC’s and in adjoining Trusts. a)many of the companies operating these centres are unproved and little evidence […]

Healthcare Assistants – An essential part of the Team

Conference congratulates and acknowledges the ground breaking work undertaken by the Nursing Sector and Service Group Executive to facilitate the first national conference of Healthcare Assistants. It is vital that UNISON as the largest trade union and the natural home for Healthcare Assistants continues to recognise and highlight the vital contribution that Healthcare Assistants make […]

Campaigning Against Private Finance

This Conference strongly opposes the Government’s moves to undermine the fundamental principles of the NHS by encouraging private finance, competition and a re-introduction of the internal market. We believe that the use of the private sector to finance and deliver NHS services is a less efficient use of NHS resources and will undermine our ability […]

Organising Nurses in UNISON

Conference recognises the excellent work being carried out by the Nursing Sector in regard to Nursing Students, Overseas Nurses and Health Care Assistants. However conference notes: 1.According to the union we have more qualified nurses in the union than nursing students or HCA’s, and qualified nurses make a massive contribution to the union through subscriptions, […]

Violence within Mental Health Settings

This conference deplores the use of violence, verbal threats and abuse against healthcare workers, recognising the detrimental effect these have on the abilty of staff to continue working in such environments, as well as the negative effect violence and aggression can have on service users. We acknowledge, however that some patients are unwell at the […]