Conference is concerned that the complex tariff system in operation in the NHS may disadvantage some services, and consequently our members that provide those services. The tariffs result in lower levels of funding for those services, leading to difficulty in recruiting; staff shortages; increased workload and less flexibility, thus impacting on the health and wellbeing […]
Conference motions
NICE recently recommended that home visits should be a minimum of 30 minutes. Conference calls on the HSGE to work with Government and NHS Employers to ensure this recommendation becomes the norm, and also to ensure staffing levels in the NHS are adequate so that Employers can implement such visits.
As organisations defending and promoting the interests of workers, pay is central to the function of Trade Unions. The achievement of the national NHS pay and conditions system, still known as Agenda for Change, represents a major development for UNISON, and for other NHS Trade Unions. The defence of this system and the lodging and […]
This Conference views with disgust, that the large consultancy, legal and accountancy firms have been increasing their financial turnover and profits from the public purse strings across the NHS. Trusts spending on them doubled between 2010 and 2014 to £640 million – enough to pay for three medium-sized hospitals. For all of 2014 the NHS […]
Conference notes that the European Union (EU) and the United States have started negotiations on a new trade agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Conference also notes that EU and Canada have finalised negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and that the EU is also negotiating the Trade in Services […]
Conference recognises and welcomes the decision taken by UNISON Health Conference in 2014 in passing Composite D that called upon the Health Service Group Executive to “explore how a new system of collective bargaining over pay and conditions with employers and the governments of the UK and the devolved nations could be achieved if independence […]
Conference welcomes the Take Your Breaks Campaign run as part of the current pay campaign in England. For NHS staff to take their breaks, they need to have somewhere that they can eat in peace. Healthcare is a 24 hour service with staff who work throughout the day and night. Historically hospitals would have their […]
Conference believes that the level of staffing of registered nurses in wards remains poor across the four countries that make up the UK. In Scotland, NHS Boards have to use the National Workforce and Workload Planning Tools. This can put too much emphasis on ‘professional judgement’ and can still lead to reduced staffing levels on […]
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to prioritise and launch a campaign of highlighting the plight of our lowest paid members and hardships that they face on daily basis. Over the last 5 plus years we have seen a real reduction on the expendable income of all our members however our Band 1 members […]
Conference notes that mental health services are arguably in crisis. They have never necessarily achieved commensurate funding with general health care services, and the austerity policies of this government have hit mental health services disproportionately. There are extant problems with capacity, leading to large numbers of patients being transferred out of area. Whole swathes of […]
Conference congratulates health branches and the health service group executive on the industrial action taken to date as part of the NHS pay dispute. Conference notes that NHS workers continue to see the value of their pay being cut year on year as a result of the pay policies of governments across the UK and […]
UNISON members note in October the words of Andy Burnham “People before profits… no one gave the prime minister permission to put the NHS up for sale”. Conference welcomes his comments and those later in November that he wishes to return to an integrated health service which includes social care as part of the NHS. […]
Health Conference is well aware and very concerned that thanks to the Tory led government the retirement age for all NHS workers will be increased to 67 years old. The detrimental impact on the health of all members forced to work until their last day at work will be significant, but in particularly there will […]
Conference notes the increase in recent years in the demand for nursing staff to work 12 hours, and other long shift patterns. While recognising that they are popular with some members we are aware that in some clinical areas there are significant concerns. The risk of fatigue leading to drug errors and their long term […]
Conference is concerned that changes to Agenda for Change that came into effect in April 2013 were not Equality Impact Assessed to measure the disproportionate effect on disabled health workers. Circulars issued by NHS Employers make no reference to scrutiny undertaken with regard to disability aspects of the revised terms and conditions and no separate […]