Foundation Hospitals (England Only)

Cost of Living Supplements

Regular Feedback To Branches on Decisions Taken at Health Conference

Sovereignty of Conference Decisons

The Energy Market: failure of liberalisation

Conference notes with concern the deepening crisis in the electricity sector of the liberalised energy market. This has been demonstrated by 1.The near financial collapse of British Energy which has required the Government to provide guarantees to creditors and institute emergency legislation to ensure the continued operation of the company. 2.The financial difficulties faced by […]

Discrimination against part-time staff in the electricity supply pension scheme

The ruling determined by the House of Lords, that the Electricity Supply Pension Schemes had discriminated against part-timers by denying them access to the pension scheme, means that may UNISON members will see their pensions fully restored. This is undoubtedly excellent news, but requires positive action by our Employers. As this action is not forthcoming, […]

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 […]

Healthcare Assistants – Barriers to Progression

The government, in the implementation of the NHS Plan, has highlighted the need for services to be designed with the patient at the heart. We believe that the role of the HCA has changed fundamentally over the last 10 years and even more so over the past 5 years. Yet barriers still remain in their […]

Involvement of the Community and Voluntary Sector where Contracts are reviewed and TUPE applies

Conference recognises the importance of ensuring that, where health and social care services operating under a partnership arrangement are subject to review and a subsequent procurement process, members and activists working in the Community and Voluntary sector including Housing Associations must be properly consulted and involved for the entirety of the process where the Community […]

Violence Towards Health Care Workers

During more than thirty years of conflict in Northern Ireland Health Care workers delivered, without prejudice, care to all sections of the Northern Irish Community. Today as in other parts of Britain attacks on the health care team are becoming more frequent and more violent. These attacks against health care workers and in particular ambulance […]

Organisation and Recruitment in Primary Care

Conference notes the establishment of new Primary Care organisations and the planned future expansion in Primary Care and Community Health facilities including, Primary Care Trusts holding approximately 75% of the NHS budget and taking on the role of directly providing services. Conference therefore agrees that organising in Primary Care Organisations and Community Health is a […]

Assaults on Ambulance Staff

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 […]