NHS Ombudsman Report on Long Term Care

In February 2003 the Health Service Ombudsman published the report NHS Funding for Long Term Care which contained the results of four investigations into complaints about the way in which health authorities set and applied their eligibility criteria for NHS funding for the continuing care of older and disabled people. The report stated “There is […]

Home Care Inspections

The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) is a new, independent public body set up under the Care Standards Act 2000, to regulate social care and private and voluntary health care services. From 1 April 2002 the NCSC took responsibility for the registration and inspection of services including care homes, replacing the previous system of inspection […]

Restoration of Value of State Pension

Conference condemns the introduction of the Pensioner Credits Scheme and notes that more than one million pensioners have not made application for such credits. Conference believes that restoration of the state pension scheme to its former monetary value is the proper way forward and would obviate the need for pension credits, minimum income guarantees for […]

Training and Development of Retired Members

Conference notes the work done at Retired Members’ Conference 2002 in the workshop on Organising Retired Members. Conference recognises that retired members play a key role in supporting the organising and recruitment aims of UNISON. Not all retired members have previously been active in the trade union, and those who are experienced activists need their […]

Free Travel Pass

Conference urges the National Retired Members’ Committee and UNISON’s National Executive Council to strongly support the National Pensioners’ Convention in achieving the free travel pass on all public transport for those reaching the accepted national retirement age and over and to make every effort to ensure that pressure is put on the Government to achieve […]

Conference Attendance Quotas

Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to establish a fair quota system relating to branch members attending National Retired Members conference. Their proposals to be submitted to the 2004 National Retired Members Conference.

Pensions

Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to approach the Pensions Section or other relevant body to ascertain the effect on public service pensions, of the Chancellor’s proposal to index the state pension to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), rather than the current retail price index. The results of this enquiry to be […]

Council Tax/Pension Increase

Conference urges the National Retired Members’ Committee to use its best endeavours to obtain the support of the National Executive Council in establishing a fair and equitable balance between annual pension increases and annual council tax increases by way of appropriate rebate.

Widows’ Pension Rights

Conference urges the National Executive Council to take every possible action, including under the Human Rights Act 1998 if appropriate, to remedy the injustices, inequalities and discrimination contained in the Local Government Pensions Scheme Regulations in relation to members’ provision for widows and widowers of post-retirement marriages.

Carers’ Allowances

Conference requests the National Executive Council to call for a review of the carer’s allowance paid by the Government and the abolition of the rule that the allowance is abated or cancelled once the carer has retired and is in receipt of a pension of £43.15 or more per week.

Iraq

Conference notes the statements made by Robin Cook and Clare Short at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 17 June 2003, that reaffirmed our belief that the basis for war in Iraq was unjustified. They believed that information from the intelligence services showed that, far from being prepared for an immediate response with Weapons of […]

The Economy

Conference remains concerned that, despite the relative health of the UK economy compared to other industrialised countries, there are still enormous imbalances between the health of the private services sector and the decline of manufacturing, between regions and between the rich and the poor. There is also a vulnerability to the collapse of a debt-financed […]

Cost of Non-Residential Care

Conference wishes to express its concern that local authorities across the country are raising the cost of non-residential personal or nursing care to those most vulnerable who rely on these important services. Conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee to ask the National Executive Council to mount a campaign under the “Right to Care” […]

Safety on Pavements, Footpaths and Pedestrian Areas

Conference requests the National Executive Council to seek all means to implement the present law relating to motorised vehicles and cycles and anything that obstructs the use of pavements, walkways, pedestrian areas and verges as this endangers the physical security of legitimate users with specific reference to senior citizens.

Tenants in Common Agreement

Conference calls on the National Executive Council to seek legal advice regarding the setting up, by individual UNISON retired members, of a tenants in common agreement which relates to privately owned property.