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 […]

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 […]

NHS AND THE QUALITY & PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE

Conference notes the good work done by UNISON in their campaigns under the headings of ·A Million Voices for Public Services ·Pay Matters ·Keep the NHS working ·Positively Public. These campaigns have been essential in the primary care sector where the threat of privatisation has been the greatest under the Transforming Community Services agenda. 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; […]

ANNUAL LEAVE USED FOR PHASED RETURN TO WORK

Conference notes the importance of a graduated return to work from long term sickness absence. Branch Officers and stewards regularly represent cases where a protracted absence is the result of bullying and harassment or due to a serious underlying health condition. In some cases our members require redeployment after sickness into a new position, and […]

MANAGING SICKNESS BETTER

Despite the excellent UNISON guidance booklet, ‘Making Us Better’, and Annex Z of the Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions handbook, many NHS employers have very punitive policies and procedures on managing sickness absence. These effectively mean that members can be disciplined for being off sick, in that they receive ‘warnings’ that if their attendance […]

HEALTH SERVICE GROUP STRUCTURES – BARGAINING SECTORS, OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS AND NETWORKS

Bargaining Sectors, Occupational Groups and Occupational Networks Conference notes the report Health Service Group Structures Review which sets out the changes to the Health Group constitution necessary to address the changes to Service Group structures agreed at National Delegate Conference 2009 and the revised sector/occupational group changes proposed by the Health Group Executive. Conference approves […]

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 […]

PENSIONS – SALARY SACRIFICE SCHEMES WITH PRIVATE CONTRACTORS

Conference reaffirms its commitment in protecting members’ pensions, who face privatisation/outsourcing in the NHS or have already been privatised/outsourced during the life of this government. Conference notes the current present trend by private companies is moving to disband defined benefit pension schemes ( final salary schemes to its existing members), thereby raising the prospect of […]

BANK WORKING UNDER AGENDA FOR CHANGE

Walsall Hospitals Branch believes that many NHS employers are applying inconsistencies when using bank workers as a deliberate ploy to prevent the payment of overtime and unsociable hours payments enjoyed by NHS employees. NHS employers are engaging staff on separate bank workers contracts in order to avoid paying the appropriate AfC overtime rates. The Walsall […]

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 […]