Category: NHS

Jenrick plan to cap migrant workers would collapse care system, says UNISON

Commenting on remarks made by immigration minister Robert Jenrick that the government might cap the number of overseas health and care workers able to come to the UK and prevent them from bringing any family with them, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

 “For too long, the government has sat back and watched as the NHS and social care grapple with a monumental staffing crisis. Both sectors are many thousands of staff short, social care desperately so.

“Migrant workers are propping up a crumbling care system that the government has refused to fund properly.

“Anyone calling for a cap on numbers or other restrictions on the essential workers the country relies upon has no understanding of the healthcare system, and the pressures it faces.

“Ministers playing to the gallery and demonising migrant workers offer nothing to the debate about how to fix social care. The simple truth is that the system would collapse without overseas workers. And with language like this being bandied about, many will be wishing they’d never come.

“As in so many other areas, the country is crying out for the government to start tackling the big issues. Unfortunately, yet again, we have ministers seeking scapegoats instead of solutions.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Dan Ashley M: 07908 672893 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk

 

 

The article Jenrick plan to cap migrant workers would collapse care system, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS data: help stop the sell-off

NHS England is set to hand over its patient data and share of a £480m contract to US company Palantir in a plan to create a new database.

This marks the biggest IT contract the NHS has ever awarded.

Palantir is a spy technology firm that works with intelligence and military agencies in the UK and US, including the CIA.

UNISON is working alongside the campaigning organisation Foxglove to help challenge this. An emergency petition to health secretary Victoria Atkins has been set up, which UNISON members are invited to sign and share.

Sign the petition here

The petition calls on Ms Atkins to cancel the contract and design an NHS data platform that keeps the NHS public, respects patient choice and protects privacy.

UNISON policy officer Guy Collis said: “NHS data is far too important to be sold off in this way and patients are rightly concerned. It’s not too late for a rethink.”

The article NHS data: help stop the sell-off first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS data: help stop the sell-off

NHS England is set to hand over its patient data and share of a £480m contract to US company Palantir in a plan to create a new database.

This marks the biggest IT contract the NHS has ever awarded.

Palantir is a spy technology firm that works with intelligence and military agencies in the UK and US, including the CIA.

UNISON is working alongside the campaigning organisation Foxglove to help challenge this. An emergency petition to health secretary Victoria Atkins has been set up, which UNISON members are invited to sign and share.

Sign the petition here

The petition calls on Ms Atkins to cancel the contract and design an NHS data platform that keeps the NHS public, respects patient choice and protects privacy.

UNISON policy officer Guy Collis said: “NHS data is far too important to be sold off in this way and patients are rightly concerned. It’s not too late for a rethink.”

The article NHS data: help stop the sell-off first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Surge plans needed to spare NHS staff and patients this winter

Responding to the latest NHS England data published today (Thursday) showing a record 7.75m people are awaiting treatment, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: 

“The data paints a grim picture of what lies ahead.

“Staff have been working in exceptionally challenging circumstances, with many suffering burnout. And all this is happening well ahead of winter and its extra pressures.

“Delivering patient services through another record-breakingly bad winter cannot come at the expense of the wellbeing of health workers.  

“Without reassurance and realistic surge plans, staff will struggle and patients undoubtedly suffer.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors. 

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Surge plans needed to spare NHS staff and patients this winter first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Surge plans needed to spare NHS staff and patients this winter

Responding to the latest NHS England data published today (Thursday) showing a record 7.75m people are awaiting treatment, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: 

“The data paints a grim picture of what lies ahead.

“Staff have been working in exceptionally challenging circumstances, with many suffering burnout. And all this is happening well ahead of winter and its extra pressures.

“Delivering patient services through another record-breakingly bad winter cannot come at the expense of the wellbeing of health workers.  

“Without reassurance and realistic surge plans, staff will struggle and patients undoubtedly suffer.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors. 

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Surge plans needed to spare NHS staff and patients this winter first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Patient confidence in the NHS must be rebuilt

Commenting on shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s plans to revitalise the NHS, announced at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Patients have suffered from Conservative mismanagement of the NHS for 13 long years. Services are in a perilous state and health workers are exhausted.

“Record staff shortages are fuelling ever-growing waiting lists. Labour plans to boost the workforce and provide extra equipment would kickstart the recovery process.

“Investment is also crucial if patient confidence in the NHS is to be rebuilt. Labour’s commitment to create the much-needed national care service would help free up capacity in hospitals to the relief of millions awaiting treatment.

“It would also ease the plight of worried families trying to navigate the broken social care system. The introduction of a new fair pay agreement would transform care roles into more attractive jobs and reduce vacancies.

“An election can’t come soon enough.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Patient confidence in the NHS must be rebuilt first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Patient confidence in the NHS must be rebuilt

Commenting on shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s plans to revitalise the NHS, announced at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Patients have suffered from Conservative mismanagement of the NHS for 13 long years. Services are in a perilous state and health workers are exhausted.

“Record staff shortages are fuelling ever-growing waiting lists. Labour plans to boost the workforce and provide extra equipment would kickstart the recovery process.

“Investment is also crucial if patient confidence in the NHS is to be rebuilt. Labour’s commitment to create the much-needed national care service would help free up capacity in hospitals to the relief of millions awaiting treatment.

“It would also ease the plight of worried families trying to navigate the broken social care system. The introduction of a new fair pay agreement would transform care roles into more attractive jobs and reduce vacancies.

“An election can’t come soon enough.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Patient confidence in the NHS must be rebuilt first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Short-term help is welcome but NHS needs permanent workforce fix

Commenting on Labour’s plans for a voluntary overtime scheme in the NHS to help reduce waiting lists, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Sunday):

“The NHS needs all the help it can get. This is fine as a stop-gap measure, but this is all it must be.

“Health workers are already up against it and there are only so many hours in a day. But a voluntary scheme, where staff are paid fairly, that avoids the use of expensive agencies, makes sense in the short-term.

“The priority must be to retain existing staff and encourage more temporary workers to go on the books and become directly employed NHS employees. 

“There must also be a properly funded recruitment campaign to fill the thousands of NHS vacancies. That’s how to tackle the huge backlog in the most efficient and effective way.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk          
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Short-term help is welcome but NHS needs permanent workforce fix first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Short-term help is welcome but NHS needs permanent workforce fix

Commenting on Labour’s plans for a voluntary overtime scheme in the NHS to help reduce waiting lists, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Sunday):

“The NHS needs all the help it can get. This is fine as a stop-gap measure, but this is all it must be.

“Health workers are already up against it and there are only so many hours in a day. But a voluntary scheme, where staff are paid fairly, that avoids the use of expensive agencies, makes sense in the short-term.

“The priority must be to retain existing staff and encourage more temporary workers to go on the books and become directly employed NHS employees. 

“There must also be a properly funded recruitment campaign to fill the thousands of NHS vacancies. That’s how to tackle the huge backlog in the most efficient and effective way.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk          
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Short-term help is welcome but NHS needs permanent workforce fix first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Steve Barclay’s conference speech is ‘deflection politics at its very worst’

Commenting on the health secretary’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference today (Tuesday) in which he announced plans that could prevent trans women from using female-only wards, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:

“This is deflection politics at its very worst.

“The NHS is having to deal with countless challenges, all of which are of great public concern.

“Endlessly-growing waiting lists, lengthening ambulance delays, worsening industrial relations and a social care system so hopelessly adrift it risks bringing the NHS down with it.

“This is what should be keeping the health secretary awake at night. These are the problems the government could and should be acting on. Not trying to bar trans women from female-only wards.

“Patients and their families will see straight through this nonsense. They know what the government should be doing. That’s tackling waits and delays, ending the strikes and dealing with the crisis in social care.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Steve Barclay’s conference speech is ‘deflection politics at its very worst’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.