Conference notes that UNISON is committed to models of reciprocal community organising and that these approaches in a health context necessarily involve seeking to forge alliances with service user and wider disability groups and social movements. UNISON should also be congratulated for the excellent booklet ‘Working with local communities to fight cuts and privatisation: a […]
Conference motions
Health Conference notes that it is not unusual that NHS and other health care staff are subject to disciplinary action as a consequence of the reporting of adverse incidents which have resulted from human error. There is a pressing need to develop a process for dealing with adverse incidents that reserves disciplinary action for the […]
UNISON: the principal union for staff within the Science, Therapies and Technical occupational group
Conference notes that the PTA and PTB sector committees will be merging to become the Science, Therapies and Technical occupational group. This new occupational group will cover a wide variety of different staff roles within the NHS. Conference further notes that the Government’s current financial and reform agenda is having a damaging impact on this […]
Mental health services have always been under-resourced in relation to the scale of health need. Since the foundation of the NHS they have suffered from the social stigma associated with mental illness; firstly housed in remote, locked “asylums”, they were never the recipients of proportionate increases in funding as health services budgets increased; staff received […]
Conference believes that the NHS needs to attract and retain the best Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) to ensure good quality services to patients. However, the AHP workforce is ageing, with a fall in the youngest age group and a rise in age groups of 45 and over. This creates difficulties in attracting new staff, since […]
Bucks Health branch of UNISON recognises all the hard work and effort that has gone into getting a yes vote for the pensions dispute, despite the state of the economy and with many fearing for their jobs. We note that the lead given by the union leadership and branch activists has been successful in getting […]
This Conference believes that the Con-Dem coalition Government’s cuts and outsourcing in the NHS are creating pressure on staff who face increasingly stressful working conditions and anxiety over job security, future prospects and career progression. This Conference believes that it is essential that as an employer the NHS provides appropriate support for staff in this […]
Conference notes that the Tory-led government intends to roll out personal health budgets in England without a robust pilot programme having taken place or assessed. Initial assessment of the limited data already available suggests that difficulties are occurring. Conference believes that it is extremely foolish to introduce a system into the NHS without proper testing […]
Conference notes that the Tory-led Government continues to wreak havoc on the NHS. Across the UK, spending increases in the NHS are stopping, at a time when inflation and other cost pressures are increasing, resulting in tighter budgets, demands for efficiency savings and staffing reductions via voluntary severance and vacancies being left unfilled. Conference notes […]
Our union has invested significant resources in the development, implementation and improvement of the Agenda for Change agreement. In addition to the massive change management programme required to move to the Agenda for Change agreement from 2004, the union has recognised that Agenda for Change is a national agreement that can adapt to remain sustainable […]
Today only twenty two per cent of MPs in the House of Commons and twenty per cent of members of the House of Lords are women. Compare this with Cuba where women hold thirty five per cent of parliamentary seats in the Cuban National Assembly. Therefore Cuba ranks sixth out of one hundred and sixty […]
Conference on 2 September 2011 Eric Pickles, the Secretary for Communities and Local Government new guidance called ‘A fair deal for the community and voluntary sector’. The guidance states councils should not carry out equality questionnaires and use the money saved to fund the community and voluntary sector. They claim that the questions asked about […]
For many years women have been the main carers within the home for their children, disabled and elderly parents. Women have fought for the right to be recognised and to be treated as equal to men. Many workplaces now have policies in place to enable employees to take time off work to care for their […]
Last year’s conference motion on Ovarian Cancer would have been a wake up call to women members unware of the necessity of early detection of ovarian cancer for there to be any reasonable chance of effective treatment. To be told one has cancer is terrifying enough, but for those whose cancers have no immediate symptoms […]
Conference acknowledges that UNISON publishes some valuable information and guidance material for branches, activists and members on a regular basis and on varying workplace issues and/or recruitment based materials. Yet conference believes that there is not enough UNISON material tailored specifically for women and that the design and format of existing publications for women sometimes […]