NHS can’t provide quality care until staffing crisis resolved, says UNISON   

Responding to findings published today (Wednesday) by the National Centre for Social Research that public satisfaction with the NHS is the lowest level on record, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:

“The NHS cannot provide the quality care people need until the staffing crisis is addressed. Patients are suffering because of government inaction.

“Low pay and burnout are to blame for nurses, paramedics and other health workers quitting the service.

“When the minimum wage increases next week, the lowest paid NHS staff will only be earning one pence an hour above the legal minimum.

“It’s not surprising they’re leaving for jobs elsewhere when supermarkets are paying much better hourly rates.

“The government must hold pay talks now, guarantee health workers a proper rise, stem the staffing exodus and improve patient 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:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk

The article NHS can’t provide quality care until staffing crisis resolved, says UNISON    first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS can’t provide quality care until staffing crisis resolved, says UNISON   

Responding to findings published today (Wednesday) by the National Centre for Social Research that public satisfaction with the NHS is the lowest level on record, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:

“The NHS cannot provide the quality care people need until the staffing crisis is addressed. Patients are suffering because of government inaction.

“Low pay and burnout are to blame for nurses, paramedics and other health workers quitting the service.

“When the minimum wage increases next week, the lowest paid NHS staff will only be earning one pence an hour above the legal minimum.

“It’s not surprising they’re leaving for jobs elsewhere when supermarkets are paying much better hourly rates.

“The government must hold pay talks now, guarantee health workers a proper rise, stem the staffing exodus and improve patient 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:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk

The article NHS can’t provide quality care until staffing crisis resolved, says UNISON    first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to strike for one-off payment, says UNISON

Commenting on the government funding that will now allow thousands of health workers to receive the one-off payment given to NHS staff last year, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:

“Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to go on strike and lose money to win the cash that’s rightfully theirs.

“Nor should they have had to wait many months for the one-off payments their directly employed NHS colleagues got months ago.

“Private firms, social enterprises and wholly-owned subsidiaries taking on NHS contracts should be driven by motives other than pure profit. Any contractor or organisation running an NHS service should be responsible for the staff it takes on too.

“Health workers employed by private firms shouldn’t be treated less favourably or earn less an hour only because they no longer work for the NHS.

“If private companies in the NHS don’t want to make that commitment, they shouldn’t be tendering for health service contracts in the first place.”

The article Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to strike for one-off payment, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to strike for one-off payment, says UNISON

Commenting on the government funding that will now allow thousands of health workers to receive the one-off payment given to NHS staff last year, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said:

“Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to go on strike and lose money to win the cash that’s rightfully theirs.

“Nor should they have had to wait many months for the one-off payments their directly employed NHS colleagues got months ago.

“Private firms, social enterprises and wholly-owned subsidiaries taking on NHS contracts should be driven by motives other than pure profit. Any contractor or organisation running an NHS service should be responsible for the staff it takes on too.

“Health workers employed by private firms shouldn’t be treated less favourably or earn less an hour only because they no longer work for the NHS.

“If private companies in the NHS don’t want to make that commitment, they shouldn’t be tendering for health service contracts in the first place.”

The article Low-paid health workers shouldn’t have had to strike for one-off payment, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Government neglect of care has led to low level of public satisfaction, says UNISON

Commenting on the findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey, published by the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust which show falling levels of public satisfaction with social care, UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said:

“The government has stood back and watched as social care slides further into crisis. No wonder satisfaction levels are plummeting.

“Generally, staff aren’t treated well and with poverty pay rates all that’s usually on offer, many don’t hang around for long.

“Carers are often left to get on with looking after their relatives or friends, without getting the support they need. And when the person they care for gets to the point where extra help is needed, most have no idea where to turn.

“Navigating the care system is beyond stressful and not for the faint-hearted. But it shouldn’t be like this.

“Only a national care service and a fair pay agreement for staff can start to turn things around. But that’s not a five-minute job. The care sector is at its lowest ebb, and it’ll take a considerable effort to get it back on its feet.”

The article Government neglect of care has led to low level of public satisfaction, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Government neglect of care has led to low level of public satisfaction, says UNISON

Commenting on the findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey, published by the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust which show falling levels of public satisfaction with social care, UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said:

“The government has stood back and watched as social care slides further into crisis. No wonder satisfaction levels are plummeting.

“Generally, staff aren’t treated well and with poverty pay rates all that’s usually on offer, many don’t hang around for long.

“Carers are often left to get on with looking after their relatives or friends, without getting the support they need. And when the person they care for gets to the point where extra help is needed, most have no idea where to turn.

“Navigating the care system is beyond stressful and not for the faint-hearted. But it shouldn’t be like this.

“Only a national care service and a fair pay agreement for staff can start to turn things around. But that’s not a five-minute job. The care sector is at its lowest ebb, and it’ll take a considerable effort to get it back on its feet.”

The article Government neglect of care has led to low level of public satisfaction, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Why the fight for Waspi pension justice is far from over

By UNISON’s senior national equality officer Josie Irwin

A whole generation of women has been badly let down by politicians.

Changes to pension law in 1995 and 2011 delayed the state pension age for 1950s-born women by up to six years. Many received information about the change with just one year’s notice. Some received no notification. An estimated 3.8 million women waited up to six years longer to receive the state pension.

Last Thursday (23 March), the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman reported that the Department of Work and Pensions had failed to communicate the changes adequately and recommended that Parliament should make things right by providing compensation of amounts between £1,000 and £2,900.

Is £3,000 enough? It seems a paltry sum given the dire financial straits that many of these women are in through no fault of their own. They were caught by surprise, their plans for retirement thrown into disarray with no time for them to make alternative arrangements.

Denied their state pension at age 60, some were forced to look for work again to make ends meet, but struggled to get jobs because of their age, physical or mental health issues, or because they had caring commitments. Others had to dig into the savings they had intended to use to ensure their retirement was comfortable.

Women who were in low-paid jobs – cleaners, teaching assistants, school administrators, cooks and catering staff, nurses and receptionists, or took time out to care for children – have been particularly badly affected.

Financial hardship has been made so much worse by the cost of living crisis, compelling some women to choose between buying food or paying for heating. Some have had to sell their homes to survive and have endured appalling poverty.

UNISON was the first union to support the cause of pension justice for 1950s-born women and is supporting thousands of women with individual claims for compensation as well as campaigning alongside women in the Waspi campaign for justice and lobbying parliamentarians.

Despite the damning ombudsman’s report, Waspiwomen still face hurdles however. So far, neither the Conservatives nor Labour have committed to paying the compensation.

Additionally, some print and social media commentators are questioning whether “these women have really been so hard done by?” They infer that, “as women have greater life expectancy than men and typically collect the state pension for longer”, they shouldn’t receive compensation.

Others talk about “the gold-plated final salary pensions” many will have been able to draw on. They mention welfare benefits that those who were unable to work would have been able to draw on.

Some financial experts – mainly but not exclusively male – are condescending, stating that the Waspi women should have known about the change, with an unspoken question being: ‘How could they have been so stupid?’ There is also a hint that the Waspi women are ‘greedy’ for wanting compensation that could run into billions.

This is despite the ombudsman highlighting that the Department of Work and Pensions failed to act on its own survey findings from around 2004, which showed that 1950s-born women still thought they would receive their state pension at 60.

The lack of sympathy toward the Waspi women and hostility from some quarters is shocking but not surprising. Society continues to undervalue the work that women do and takes their contribution for granted.

Our campaign is far from over. UNISON supports Waspi’s call for an urgent vote in Parliament on compensation. We will continue to speak out, about both the failure to communicate the change and the resulting hardship for so many women. 1950s women need swift action, not more excuses.

The article Opinion: Why the fight for Waspi pension justice is far from over first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Why the fight for Waspi pension justice is far from over

By UNISON’s senior national equality officer Josie Irwin

A whole generation of women has been badly let down by politicians.

Changes to pension law in 1995 and 2011 delayed the state pension age for 1950s-born women by up to six years. Many received information about the change with just one year’s notice. Some received no notification. An estimated 3.8 million women waited up to six years longer to receive the state pension.

Last Thursday (23 March), the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman reported that the Department of Work and Pensions had failed to communicate the changes adequately and recommended that Parliament should make things right by providing compensation of amounts between £1,000 and £2,900.

Is £3,000 enough? It seems a paltry sum given the dire financial straits that many of these women are in through no fault of their own. They were caught by surprise, their plans for retirement thrown into disarray with no time for them to make alternative arrangements.

Denied their state pension at age 60, some were forced to look for work again to make ends meet, but struggled to get jobs because of their age, physical or mental health issues, or because they had caring commitments. Others had to dig into the savings they had intended to use to ensure their retirement was comfortable.

Women who were in low-paid jobs – cleaners, teaching assistants, school administrators, cooks and catering staff, nurses and receptionists, or took time out to care for children – have been particularly badly affected.

Financial hardship has been made so much worse by the cost of living crisis, compelling some women to choose between buying food or paying for heating. Some have had to sell their homes to survive and have endured appalling poverty.

UNISON was the first union to support the cause of pension justice for 1950s-born women and is supporting thousands of women with individual claims for compensation as well as campaigning alongside women in the Waspi campaign for justice and lobbying parliamentarians.

Despite the damning ombudsman’s report, Waspiwomen still face hurdles however. So far, neither the Conservatives nor Labour have committed to paying the compensation.

Additionally, some print and social media commentators are questioning whether “these women have really been so hard done by?” They infer that, “as women have greater life expectancy than men and typically collect the state pension for longer”, they shouldn’t receive compensation.

Others talk about “the gold-plated final salary pensions” many will have been able to draw on. They mention welfare benefits that those who were unable to work would have been able to draw on.

Some financial experts – mainly but not exclusively male – are condescending, stating that the Waspi women should have known about the change, with an unspoken question being: ‘How could they have been so stupid?’ There is also a hint that the Waspi women are ‘greedy’ for wanting compensation that could run into billions.

This is despite the ombudsman highlighting that the Department of Work and Pensions failed to act on its own survey findings from around 2004, which showed that 1950s-born women still thought they would receive their state pension at 60.

The lack of sympathy toward the Waspi women and hostility from some quarters is shocking but not surprising. Society continues to undervalue the work that women do and takes their contribution for granted.

Our campaign is far from over. UNISON supports Waspi’s call for an urgent vote in Parliament on compensation. We will continue to speak out, about both the failure to communicate the change and the resulting hardship for so many women. 1950s women need swift action, not more excuses.

The article Opinion: Why the fight for Waspi pension justice is far from over first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Dudley NHS staff gain Mitie victory

More than 300 hospital workers in Dudley represented by UNISON are celebrating victory after their employer, Mitie, committed to paying the lump sum COVID bonus due to them at the end of last week.

The one-off payment is worth at least £1,655 for full-time health workers, including porters, domestics, sterile services and catering staff working in the NHS.

Mitie applied for funding for the pay deal from the Department of Health and Social Care and has written to UNISON to say that its application for funding had been successful.

Staff had taken three days of strike action over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment, already given to health workers employed directly by the NHS in June.

The sum was part of a deal agreed for all staff on NHS contracts and Agenda for Change pay scales, but Mitie said it could not afford to pay up.

UNISON has now called off further strike dates due to take place today and on Wednesday.

UNISON West Midlands regional organiser Ollie Hopkins said: “This is a victory for the hundreds of low-paid health workers employed by Mitie in Dudley.

“They worked through the pandemic in the most challenging conditions imaginable. It is only right they receive the same COVID bonus payment as directly employed NHS staff.

“Workers took the tough decision to make a stand and show their strength of feeling. The high-profile strike action created pressure that focused the minds of Mitie executives and has ended the dispute.

“But Mitie generates huge profits and had the ability to pay its staff all along. It could have easily avoided this strike.

“UNISON and Unite have called off further action. Mitie must now get this money into the pockets of its workers immediately.”

The article Dudley NHS staff gain Mitie victory first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Dudley NHS staff gain Mitie victory

More than 300 hospital workers in Dudley represented by UNISON are celebrating victory after their employer, Mitie, committed to paying the lump sum COVID bonus due to them at the end of last week.

The one-off payment is worth at least £1,655 for full-time health workers, including porters, domestics, sterile services and catering staff working in the NHS.

Mitie applied for funding for the pay deal from the Department of Health and Social Care and has written to UNISON to say that its application for funding had been successful.

Staff had taken three days of strike action over the company’s previous refusal to honour the payment, already given to health workers employed directly by the NHS in June.

The sum was part of a deal agreed for all staff on NHS contracts and Agenda for Change pay scales, but Mitie said it could not afford to pay up.

UNISON has now called off further strike dates due to take place today and on Wednesday.

UNISON West Midlands regional organiser Ollie Hopkins said: “This is a victory for the hundreds of low-paid health workers employed by Mitie in Dudley.

“They worked through the pandemic in the most challenging conditions imaginable. It is only right they receive the same COVID bonus payment as directly employed NHS staff.

“Workers took the tough decision to make a stand and show their strength of feeling. The high-profile strike action created pressure that focused the minds of Mitie executives and has ended the dispute.

“But Mitie generates huge profits and had the ability to pay its staff all along. It could have easily avoided this strike.

“UNISON and Unite have called off further action. Mitie must now get this money into the pockets of its workers immediately.”

The article Dudley NHS staff gain Mitie victory first appeared on the UNISON National site.