Travel Insurance

Conference notes with concern the lack of reviewing of the age of the older population when Travel Insurance is required. Insurance companies take no consideration for anyone becoming “over 70 years of age” and premiums are increased on age alone. Government policy on retirement age is to increase the age of retirement. Therefore we instruct […]

Ethical Care Charter

Homecare workers are personally propping up a deteriorating system of adult social care but are being pushed to breaking point. That they are still willing to deliver good levels of care in spite of the system is nothing short of heroic. For the system to work it needs to be underpinned by adequate funding and […]

RESTRUCTURING ANNUAL RETIRED MEMBERS’ CONFERENCE

Conference acknowledges that after the narrow defeat on a card vote of motion 32 at last year’s conference the issue of the structure of Retired Members Conference needs to be looked at in more depth. In recent years Conference has allowed more time for debate of motions at the beginning of the agenda often to […]

FUNDING FOR RETIRED MEMBER ACTIVITY

Conference notes that the National Executive Council has submitted several rule changes to National Delegate Conference including one on adequate and agreed funding for retired member activity. Conference also notes the existence of Regional Pools. These Regional Pools are intended to be an additional source of branch funding for specific items where the branch could […]

Amendment to Standing Orders – Standing Order 3

Add at end of Standing Order 3.1 A regional delegate may move a motion or amendment submitted by a Branch within that Region if the Branch concerned is unable to be present at the Conference. Delete existing 3.3 Renumber 3.4 as 3.3.

WIDER SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF TREATMENT

Conference notes that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has rejected a proposal from the Department of Health that its assessment of new medicines should include the evaluation of wider societal benefit (WSB). Wider Societal Benefit is a measure of the impact of a treatment on the extent to which people living […]

THE PENSIONS BILL – AND WHO PAYS IT

Conference notes that the proposals in the Government’s Pensions Bill – self-praised by them as a way of making the state pensions system clearer and fairer – do neither of these things, do nothing for existing pensioners, and would result in a multi-tier pensions system so complicated that not only pensioners but probably even those […]

HANDS OFF OUR BENEFITS

Conference has on several occasions made policies regarding our determination to hang on to the small (but valuable and much valued) universal benefits elderly people have such as bus passes, free TV licenses etc. We must now recognise that there is yet another political threat to these: leading UKIP figures have made no secret of […]

Drug monitoring and suitability for older people

Conference recognises that as we get older, medically more things are prone to go wrong. Fortunately, both well established and new drugs can be prescribed which assist in the management of acute and chronic conditions in older people. We can continue to lead active, useful and interesting lives long after our parents would have succumbed […]

Increase in the Basic State Pension

Conference is very concerned that the Basic State Pension (BSP) has remained below the poverty level for many years. In April 2014, it was increased to £113.10 per week for a single pensioner, a rise of £2.95 per week. The National Pensioners Convention statistic for the poverty level is £175. The deficit of £64.90 is […]

Inclusive Communication for Older People

This Conference notes with concern that retired people who are not on line and are unable to access the internet can be significantly disadvantaged both economically and socially. They are unable to take advantage of deals on, for example, fuel and transport and are deprived of services that are accessible solely on line. They are […]

Ageing Well in UNISON

Conference recognises that one of the factors to account for the growth of UNISON’s Retired Members’ Organisation is growing longevity. While this mainly consists of existing members growing older there are also instances of former members taking up retired membership many years after they left work. Conference asserts that longevity is an asset not a […]

CARE HOME STAFF

Conference notes with concern that the conditions of service of Care Staff is a real scandal and as a result the frail, elderly people are not receiving the level of service they should. A study by Baroness Kingsmill has stated that frail elderly people are being exposed to neglect and abuse because caring and compassionate […]

PENSIONERS AND PROSTATE CANCER

At a previous National Retired Members Conference, the delegates noted a resolution high-lighting the fact that prostate cancer in men is a real matter of concern as the prostate cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the single most common cancer in all men in the UK and accounts for 24% of all new cancer diagnosis. […]

National Pensioners’ Convention

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) is Britain’s biggest independent campaigning organisation for older people representing 1.5 million pensioners from both Unions and Pensioners Groups nationwide. The NPC’s main objective is to promote the welfare and interests of today and future pensioners, as a way of securing dignity, respect and financial security for all pensioners. Conference […]