COVID Wall with Christina McAnea in front

Blog: Matt Hancock made for grim listening at the COVID Inquiry

He continues to forget that his department as Secretary of State was not just for health, but social care too

Professor Lynn Sudbury-Riley at 2023 NDC

Conference urged to fight for truth and justice in COVID inquiry

Delegates heard from Professor Lyn Sudbury-Riley about her work with COVID Bereaved Families for Justice, as the pandemic public inquiry began

Covid death families have yet to claim millions in compensation

Families should apply without delay if they meet payment criteria

Winter plan for Covid urgently needed, says UNISON

Winter is coming and the virus is staging a comeback.

Photo from above, without head, of a young girl in school uniform

Headteachers fear losing increasingly vital teaching assistants as cost-of-living pressures bite​

To halt the exodus of teaching assistants they need to be better rewarded

woman with mask on in front of laptop, sanitising her hands

Ministers must act now as Covid infection rates rise

Wishing Covid away is dangerous, we must get ahead of the next wave

Joint Trade Union Update Statement – COVID-19 Terms and Conditions (England)

Since March 2020 there has been development of specific guidance and advice to support NHS organisations and NHS staff during the pandemic.  However, in light of the government now setting out their new phase of managing COVID-19 in England, the DHSC has indicated a wish to review the guidance and advice on COVID-19 for NHS […]

Somerset decision risks Covid care home spread, says UNISON  

No one with Covid should be going in to work

Ending isolation without clear guidance creates big public risk, says UNISON

Christina McAnea says ditching rules is reckless and will cause confusion

Lack of lateral flow tests in schools putting staff and children at risk, says UNISON

Schools ​and nurseries up and down the country have been struggling with high absence rates, and a poor supply of tests only make​s things worse.

Don’t risk Covid progress by abandoning safety measures too ​early, says UNISON

If safety measures are abandoned too early, in one fell swoop, the good progress ​made could be quickly undone.

NHS staff-shortage crisis needs more than a quick Omicron fix, says UNISON  

Employers are using desperate measures to cope with desperate times. But stretching dwindling numbers every thinner cannot solve this staffing crisis. 

NHS ‘running on empty’ because government refuses to address staffing crisis, says UNISON

A properly-funded staffing plan is the single most important step ministers can take to relieve pressures over the next few years.

Testing changes must not be used in isolation, says UNISON

Public service workers were already under huge strain to maintain services and Omicron absences have ratcheted the pressure to new levels.

Allow schools to close early as Omicron spreads exponentially, says UNISON 

Stopping the virus in its tracks and keeping pupils and communities safe should be a top priority