This Conference believes that a safe working environment is a right for everyone. There is a requirement under “Health & Safety at Work Act 1974” and “The Health & Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981” for employers to provide equipment and facilities which are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for administering first-aid to employees (Regulation 3(1)). […]
Conference motions
The last five years have witnessed a significant and welcome expansion in the commissioning of student nurse training places at UK universities to sustain the NHS nursing workforce. We are now beginning to see, however, a reduction in the availability of monies available to purchase training courses this year and the potential for reductions in […]
This Conference notes that many UNISON members employed by Primary Care Trusts are currently going through major reorganisations and job changes as a result of the government’s “Commissioning a Patient-led NHS”and the subsequent reconfiguration of PCTs. In some areas, such as the North East, these changes have been made more complicated by the “smoke and […]
This Conference notes that the government has spent thousands of millions of pounds on the war and occupation in Iraq, and is now considering spending further millions on renewing the trident nuclear submarines and missiles. This is at the same time as the government is forcing NHS Trusts to cut their expenditure in order to […]
There has been much media speculation of late that overseas nurses will be barred from employment in an attempt to help home grown candidates. This speculation is surprising given that the UK has been in a dilemma for a number of years owing to the massive shortage of qualified specialist nurses. Indeed, the government has […]
Conference notes with deep concern the scale of cuts inflicted on the NHS, particularly over the last two years, with reports of thousands of job losses, and the closure of wards, departments and threats to close whole hospitals in many parts of the country. Conference also notes the powerful local public resistance to these cuts, […]
This conference is concerned that nurse prescribing is not being introduced in a properly co-ordinated manner. We therefore call on the Health Group Executive to meet urgently with the Department of Health with a view to the DoH:- 1.Producing guidelines to ensure a common standard of non medical prescribing is provided in all Trusts in […]
Conference welcomes the implementation of Agenda for Change (AfC) for Soft Facilities Management (FM) staff employed by private contractors and sees this as the minimum rate for all staff working in the NHS irrespective of employer. However we recognise that this agreement does not cover members employed in Hard FM and asks that negotiation continue […]
Conference believes that the huge increase in the Nurses and Midwifery Council registration is unacceptable. The NMC can not justify nor demonstrate such a huge increase, nor do we as registrants have confidence that we are receiving value for money. All too often when the NMC are contacted by registered nurses who raise concerns regarding […]
Conference welcomes the new rights for parents and carers to be introduced in the Work and Families Act, which will come into force in April 2007. It notes that parents and carers struggling to achieve work life balance will now be able to take advantage of the following improvements: §Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and […]
Conference notes the recommendations contained in the Report of the Review of NHS Pathology Services in England chaired by Lord Carter of Coles and published in August 2006 including: ·The establishment of managed pathology networks; ·Instigating formal service level agreements within trusts between laboratories and clinical departments; ·Empowering commissioners of pathology services to have greater […]
This conference welcomes the establishment of the TUC and non-TUC Health Trade Unions ‘NHS Together’ campaign which in conjunction with the UNISON ‘Say YES to 5 Healthier Options’ campaign provides a campaigning strategy to keep the NHS working in the public sector. This conference supports and applauds the leadership role provided by UNISON’s Healthcare Service […]
The NHS is in crisis. Much of the government’s injection of additional investment has ended up in the pockets of private companies. The end result of government policies has been job losses, cuts, closures and privatisation. Women form the majority of the workforce in the NHS, and are also disproportionately represented in lower grade jobs […]
Conference welcomes the creation of the National Ambulance Partnership Forum and notes that it has been set up to: 1.Provide a means to communicate and share a common understanding of the transformational national agenda facing ambulance services in light of: §‘Taking Healthcare to the Patient’ – service delivery, workforce developments, education & training; §The changing […]
The Government’s so-called reforms of the NHS are gathering pace and are preparing the way for more privatisation. On 28 July UNISON reps in the Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) were informed that the PPD is looking at options to privatise the services. This is in addition to the […]