END PFI NOW

Conference notes that by the financial year 2013/14 the total amount of money to be repaid by NHS Trusts to PFI consortia will be £2.3 billion a year, with a total debt of £90 billion over the duration of the schemes. This increased pressure on valuable NHS resources will come at a time when the […]

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Conference notes the findings of the Boorman Review including: ·The large number of staff that continue to attend work while feeling unwell; ·The connection between staff health & wellbeing and standards of care; ·The connections between staff health & wellbeing and the public health agenda; ·The importance of investing in high quality occupational health services; […]

NHS FINANCES INTO THE FUTURE

Conference welcomes the massive amounts of extra funding the NHS has received in recent years after decades of under-investment, and continues to support the centralised funding of our health service. Conference notes the importance of the NHS during the recession and the fact that, unlike other countries such as the USA, in the UK losing […]

REGULATION OF HEALTH CARE STAFF AND SERVICES

Conference notes that members in the health service are facing a wide range of regulatory reforms. Conference recognises the contribution of UNISON’s Professional Service Unit in taking forward issues regarding the regulation of health care staff including providing professional representation, working with regulators and creating links and innovative partnerships with professional organisations. Conference is aware […]

BRING PRIVATISED SERVICES BACK INTO THE NHS

Conference welcomes the Three Companies Project and other initiatives by UNISON to strengthen the union’s membership and organisation in private companies operating in the NHS. Such work is vital if we are going to be able to make these companies treat their workforce with anything like the same standards on pay, conditions, workplace policies etc […]

ABUSE OF BAND 4 ASSOCIATE PRACTITIONERS

Conference notes with dismay how band 4 Associate Practitioners are being abused in some of our NHS hospitals and departments. This role of Associate Practitioner was introduced to utilise the experience of HCAs giving them the opportunity to progress in the workplace and means for the NHS to overcome future shortages in the nursing workforce […]

HIV HAS NOT GONE AWAY

This conference notes from the HIV & AIDS in the North West of England 2008 Report, that there has been an increase of 13 % of people newly diagnosed with HIV in the North West between 2007 and 2008. For the same period, there is a 24% increase in Lancashire. Overall there has been an […]

SICKNESS ABSENCE IN THE NHS

Conference notes the potential for lack of funding in healthcare and other associated Organisations, due to the broad financial restraints, which will impact upon and cut across all public sector budgets. Large employing organisations are required by Health and Safety law to work with recognised UNISON Health and Safety Officers to reduce the burden of […]

WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS

This conference notes the Health Service Group Executive (HSGE) proposals within the UNISON structures review. To further the proposed changes and maximise the potential for occupational networks to influence the professional agenda in health, conference calls on the HSGE to draft a model for partnership working with existing professional bodies in healthcare encompassing: ·Administrative and […]

EQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE REGULATORY REGISTRATION FEES

This conference is concerned at the different and varied rates charged to registrants by health professional regulatory bodies for essentially the same service. Further, conference notes that none of these bodies have a system of pro-rata registration fees for part-time health workers nor a system based on affordability to pay. As health regulation spreads across […]

KEEP AMBULANCE SERVICES IN THE NHS

This conference has major concerns over Ambulance trusts using inappropriate methods in responding to 999 calls including: ·Excessive deployment of Community Responders ·Use of the unregulated voluntary and private sector. The concept of Community or First Responders was initiated to widen the availability of early defibrillation in immediately life threatening situations in areas that were […]

LABOUR AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY

UNISON has had a long and historic link with the Labour party, but this government is no longer seen as a party for the working class or a party that has any interest in the masses, it continues to use political terminology such as disadvantage to place Black people in society. Therefore offering no hope […]

ENCOURAGING YOUNG BLACK REPRESENTATION IN UNISON

It is well known that young people are the future of this organisation and with that in mind we need a targeted advertising campaign to recruit more young Black members into UNISON, working directly with NUS Black Student campaign, UNISON young members and other Black orientated youth organisations. We call upon National Black Members’ Committee […]

CAMPAIGN FOR EFFECTIVE EQUALITY LEGISLATION

Black members’ conference welcomes the Government’s proposed commitment to introduce new harmonised and comprehensive equality legislation in the Equality Bill. UNISON Black members have experienced the full effects of the recession and recognise that only strong anti-discrimination legislation, and a proactive public sector duty, will protect both Black communities and the workforce. In particular Conference […]

BUILD RESISTANCE TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

The present economic crisis is a threat to the living standards, jobs and pensions of all working classes around the world. In the United Kingdom where we have a one million young people under the age of twenty five year olds out of work and increasing unemployment across the private sector and public sector. A […]