Conference motions

Conference notes with concern the report from the Office of National Statistics issued in September 2015 that indicates that the number of people working on zero-hours contracts climbed to 744,000 from 624,000 in 2014, a rise of 19% to 2.4% of the total UK workforce of 31 million. Conference is particularly alarmed that the Health […]

Conference congratulates the Health Service Group Executive that met in November 2015, for unanimously agreeing its full support for the junior doctors. Conference notes that the motion included the following wording: “UNISON’s Health Service Group Executive (HSGE) gives its full support to the proposed strike action by BMA members over changes to the contracts of […]

Conference reaffirms our belief that health services are best delivered by a public sector workforce directly employed by the NHS. However, the Tory government shows no signs of diverting from its ideological task of privatising health services. Increasing numbers of our members – and potential members – are now working for private companies. Their need […]

Conference reaffirms the fact that discrimination is bad for your health – both physical and mental. Research published by Manchester Business School in 2014 found significantly higher levels of poor mental health amongst lesbian, gay and bisexual workers than non-LGB workers. The highest levels were amongst lesbian and bisexual workers. Research into transgender workers’ experiences […]

Conference believes that moves to seven day operation must be carried out on a case by case basis informed by a robust evidence base. Conference asserts that extending the hours NHS services operate will require additional funding and cannot be achieved from within existing resources. Conference recognises that current Agenda for Change unsocial hours payments […]

Conference notes that professional registration is a topic of great interest to UNISON members working in healthcare. Many of our members are required to be professionally registered to practise their professions. For some members such as healthcare assistants UNISON has long-standing policy aspirations for a statutory registration scheme. For other parts of our membership our […]

Conference notes that mental health services continue to suffer from lack of adequate funding and poor staff to service user ratios. Many service users have been hit by cuts in welfare benefits and other austerity measures. Many staff work extra hours without pay in order to try to keep their services going; they have faced […]

Conference congratulates The Scottish Health Committee in becoming Dementia Friends. A Dementia Friends information session is a free interactive and informative training course that provides you with an understanding of how to interact with people who have dementia. Five key dementia messages are brought to life through a number of activities delivered by trained Dementia […]

Conference notes with concern the letter sent out in Summer 2015 by Monitor and the Trust Development Authority to all provider trusts in England asking them to take urgent measures to reduce the predicted national £2 billion health deficit. The measures suggested include “to ensure vacancies are filled only where essential”, but does not explain […]

Health Conference notes the outcome of the Pay Review Body’s report on any barriers that unsocial hours payments place on introducing seven-day services across the NHS in England, Cymru/Wales and Northern Ireland which was published in July 2015; and conference cautiously welcomes the conclusion that there was no case for radical change to the Agenda […]

Conference notes that negotiations have been taking place with NHS Employers over refreshing Agenda for Change. Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to reject any proposals that lead to a detriment to our members.

Conference notes that the Government made a promise of an increase in the annual funding for the NHS of £8bn more above the annual rate in inflation by 2020. Conference demands that the Government not only keeps its promise but that it pays the extra £ 8bn now. This payment needs to be actioned now […]

This conference believes that it is vital to reverse the trend of reducing training opportunities for all healthcare staff. Training is a casualty of the reduction in funding and ongoing staff shortages. More than a third of nursing staff do not feel adequately updated with their core training. This issue is relevant to health service […]

Conference has concerns in regards to the way Healthcare organisations are attempting to meet the safer staffing levels recommended by the Francis Report. Often organisations are meeting these staffing requirements by the use of poor or inadequate skill mixing which includes the use of unsatisfactory banding levels of agency and bank staff in most health […]