Clegg NHS speech - UNISON response

Commenting on a speech on NHS Reforms, made by Nick Clegg at University College London Hospital today, UNISON’s head of health, Christina McAnea, said:“Nick Clegg’s attempt to reassure people that any changes to the NHS will be in the best interests of patients, has not worked. A growing number of professionals are calling for the Health and Social Care Bill to be ditched and that, we believe, is the best option. “He is completely naïve to think that more competition won’t lead to a greater role for private companies. Companies who are chomping at the bit to start raking in cash from the health service. Once they get their teeth into the NHS they will destroy it.“During this so-called listening exercise the overwhelming majority of patients and staff have put forward their fears. The Government must listen to them, rather than the hand-picked few, who are set to benefit from reforms.“If the Bill goes back to Committee stage as a result of significant changes, Parliament will have a chance to scrutinise it in much more detail. In that case, reform plans already being pushed through should be stopped, as there is clearly no legislative mandate and none likely any time soon.“We will continue campaigning against the privatisation of our NHS and this destructive Bill.”

Sharon Shoesmith court appeal ruling- UNISON reaction

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:“This ruling will give a much-needed boost to social workers up and down the country who protect daily thousands of vulnerable children and adults. It should serve as a lesson that whipping up a campaign of vilification and hatred will never save a single child’s life. “The torture and killing of Baby Peter Connolly at the hands of his mother and carers rightly horrified and angered us all. It is right when something goes so tragically wrong that we as a society question what went wrong, how it happened and how to prevent it happening again. “But, we as a society must accept that if we are to place such enormous burdens on social workers and other child protection professionals, we must support them and make sure they have adequate resources. “Social work teams continue to operate with high turnover, high vacancy rates and high caseloads. And the situation is unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future with local authorities facing huge funding cuts.”

Clegg challenge on Monitor - UNISON response

Commenting on Nick Clegg’s call to remove the role of economic regulator from the remit of Monitor, Christina McAnea, UNISON’s head of health, said:“Nick Clegg has echoed what UNISON has been saying all along - that collaboration, not competition, needs to be the driving force behind the NHS if we are to deliver the best care for patients. “UNISON believes this is a step in the right direction, but Mr Clegg’s demands on his Government colleagues need to go further if we are to prevent a further dismantling of the health service and private companies profiting from patients. “The Government needs to listen to the overwhelming majority of patients and staff who oppose their plans and not just listen to the hand-picked few who have taken part in their listening exercise.”

Inflation figures- UNISON response

UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is calling on the government to ditch its failed economic strategy and come up with a plan B. Today’s inflation figures mean misery for hardworking families, said the union, who are being hit from all sides by rising prices, low pay, and a pensions hike for public sector workers looming large. Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “This strategy is clearly failing. The government must come up with a plan B. It’s a constant drum beat of misery for hardworking families. They are being hit with frozen pay and rising prices. Public sector workers are also facing having to pay an extra 50% for their pensions. “Today’s fractional fall in retail price inflation will not relieve the pain of family budgets. We know many low paid workers, for example care and health care assistants, already struggle with heavy debt. Many are cutting back on spending on food and things for their children – they are already at rock bottom. “Clearly we are not all in this together. Whilst public sector workers pay with their livelihoods and living standards, the bankers are still getting mega pay rises and big bonuses.”

Hypocritical Tories still relying on PFI

A new report by UNISON, the UK’s largest union, released today (16 May), reveals that, despite heavily criticising the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in opposition, the Tories are relying on it in power.However, the credit crunch means that the business case for PFI is weaker than ever; a bad deal for the taxpayer has just got a lot worse.In practice, the Tories are not only expanding PFI, but rejecting new, cheaper funding models. On the same day that a huge PFI hospital was signed off in Liverpool, the government rejected plans for a hospital on Teeside, funded under a new procurement model.UNISON, a heavy critic of PFI under Labour and the Tories, is calling on the government to finally ditch PFI, and make projects cheaper by funding them publicly.Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:“Despite criticising PFI in opposition, the Tories have pushed it forward in power, signing off new projects worth more than £6 billion.“This is a chronic waste of public money. In the post credit crunch finance markets, the cost of borrowing has shot up, making the case for PFI weaker than ever. Projects searching for finance are now at the mercy of the banking sector, which is exploiting its monopoly position, even though PFI projects have not got any riskier. “Our analysis proves that Government borrowing from capital markets would be far more cost-effective, saving hundreds of millions on one hospital alone. And as cuts hit communities, and hospitals and schools shed jobs and wards, the case for more efficient ways of funding major public building projects gathers pace. “Tory efforts to tackle the obscene profits made by PFI companies are a sham. In practice, the government is rejecting new finance models, exchanging very short-term gain, for longer-term pain.”The reports main points:- Despite criticising PFI in opposition and in government, the coalition has a huge PFI programme in operation with a capital value of £6.9 bn, covering more than 60 projects. The cost of this will increase as the projects reach the procurement stage.- The off balance-sheet status of PFI is still the main driver, especially in the face of massive public spending cuts.- However, the case for PFI is weaker than ever. The cost of PFI has risen astronomically following the financial crisis. PFI is at the mercy of the banking sector which has exploited its near monopoly position to raise the cost of finance, despite there being no change in the risk profile of projects.- The gap between the rate at which government and the private sector can borrow has widened dramatically, shown on page 11 of the report, tracing back this gap since Jan 2008. For example, the overall rate of return projected on the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen PFI scheme is about 8.5%, compared to a current long term gilt rate of about 4%. Using the current gilt rate to discount the projected returns to investors on this scheme shows the cost of private finance currently an additional £160 million in net present cost (NPC) terms.- The case for public funding has strengthened. The report puts forward other potential models, such as gain sharing from equity sales and from maintenance over-spend as more cost efficient options. Case studies in the report include:- The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospital on Merseyside is one of the largest PFI projects to be tendered. The total cost of the scheme is £1.24bn and would have been £733m under conventional procurement (p10).- On the same day as the Liverpool hospital was approved, the coalition government rejected a new procurement model on Teesside. The hospital in Hartlepool would have used 91% public finance and 9% equity - the latter to take on construction risk. A much smaller PFI scheme is now being planned.

Cameron speech on NHS reforms - UNISON response

Commenting on David Cameron’s speech on the Health and Social Care Bill, at Ealing Hospital, in London, today (16 May), Christina McAnea, Head of Health at UNISON, which represents more than 450,000 health workers, said:“David Cameron is taking the ‘national’ out of the health service and turning it into a fragmented, money-spinning operation. “The Prime Minister is using extreme examples to paint an untrue picture. He admits the NHS is providing the best service it has ever done, with reports saying it is the most efficient and equitable health system. “Cameron’s call to crack down on waste in the NHS is a smokescreen for a move to a wholesale market, which opens the NHS up to privatisation. The real waste is the time spent on the fatally flawed reforms, which will force NHS patients to the back of a very long queue.“He talks about having more choice and protecting budgets, but health workers are seeing their jobs axed and wards, services and even entire hospitals lost without any arrangements to protect continuity of patient care.“Plans to move to any willing or qualified provider will cause instability and waste and lead to less patient choice in the long term. The market approach will result in a huge hike in transaction costs and form-filling. The time that doctors and nurses should be spending on caring for patients will be diverted away to this type of administration and managers will spend more of their time making sure their practices are not anti-competitive, rather than trying to save the NHS money. “During the so-called Listening Exercise, the Prime Minister preferred the ravings of people like KPMG’s Mark Britnell, who wants to see a move away from a comprehensive service, over listening to the outcry among patients, public, staff, health experts, charities and health economists.“There is a huge risk involved in ploughing ahead with these drastic NHS changes, when we know it isn’t necessary. The Government must concentrate on dropping this deadweight Bill.”

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UNISON survey reveals careers meltdown

A survey by UNISON, the UK’s largest public service union, reveals a desperate picture of the careers service for young people in England heading for meltdown. A staggering 97.3% of local authorities are set to make cuts to Connexions services this year*. Some areas of the country will see their careers service close down completely, with up to 8000 advisers set to lose their jobs nationwide. The survey also shows that some local authorities are flouting their statutory duties to provide careers guidance**, with 50% rated as poor in terms of compliance with statutory duties. This spells danger for the government’s ultimate aim of establishing an All Age Careers Service by 2012, which will be hindered by a lack of transition planning, and the huge drain of expertise out of the careers service, as well trained Connexions advisers lose their jobs. Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “Youth unemployment has hit a record high, with more than one million young people out of work. But all across the country, the Connexions advisers with the expertise to give young people the help they need, are losing their jobs – this makes no sense.“Local authorities have a duty to provide careers services – but these cuts mean many are flouting their responsibilities to young people. The government says it wants to set up an all age careers service by 2012, but young people need help now. The all age service will ultimately suffer from this brain drain, as well-trained Connexions advisers lose their jobs in their droves.“We are calling on the government to stand by young people in their hour of greatest need, by showing their support for the Connexions service. Ministers urgently need to reveal the careers budget for schools and instruct local authorities to keep services running, pending transition to the new service.” The UNISON survey coincides with the Tory-led Education Bill, which lays plans for the all age careers service, currently making its way through parliament. Amendments to protect the careers service have been laid by MPs to be debated at Report Stage (May 11th) in the House of Commons.Key findings from UNISON Branch Survey*Is your local authority making cuts to careers services? In 2008/09 – 49.3% made cuts to careers servicesIn 2009/10 – 57.3% made cuts to careers servicesIn 2010/11 – 97.3% are making cuts to careers services **How effective is your local authority in keeping up with their statutory duty to give careers guidance? Effective – 24.4%Fair – 28.8%Poor – 50% Regional examples Connexions Cheshire & Warrington - the number of careers advisors, community advisors and youth workers in each area has been cut in half. East Sussex – the whole service is set to close in August 2011.Essex - No one-to-one advice now available. The service will play a consultancy role, with only four people to cover NEET advice for the whole of Essex. Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral – in all these areas, cuts will see the end of school careers guidance services.In Lewisham there will be no Connexions service for young people. The replacement service will only target those deemed most in need; i.e. those NEET for 20 weeks or more and only those young people in schools who are statemented.

Survey reveals life in the NHS under the Tories

On the day that nurses and the public should be celebrating Nurses Day (12 May), a shocking survey of more that 2,000 nurses and midwives, paints a bleak picture of life in the NHS since the Tories came to power a year ago. The UNISON survey underlines the effect of uncertainty caused by the Health and Social Care Bill and the impact on the frontline of the Government’s demand for £20bn in efficiency savings.Three quarters of nursing staff said that the number of patients they have treated has gone up, at the same time as 60% reported a drop in staff numbers. This damaging scenario led to a shocking 64% reporting that safety and patient care is being undermined. Staff morale has been hit with only a quarter prepared to recommend nursing as a profession.The vast majority (78%) said that their employer was making cuts, with over a third reporting redundancies.Gail Adams, UNISON Head of Nursing, said:“The results of this damning survey are both sad and shocking. Nurses and midwives see first hand the damage that the Government’s cuts are inflicting on patient care, so it is perhaps not surprising that 65% say they have considered leaving the NHS. However, nurses are clearly angry at the impact on patients, with 57% saying they would be prepared to take industrial action if patient care is compromised.“The Health and Social Care Bill is a dangerous experiment and must be dropped. NHS staff have always been prepared to move and modernise, but this is the wrong bill, at the wrong time.“The demand for £20bn in efficiency savings is leading to more patients being cared for by less staff, with trusts forced into making front-line cuts. Some hospitals are now closing wards because of the squeeze on finances and that means patients are waiting longer. This Government is turning the clock back on patient care in the NHS.”Additional Survey results · More than a third (36%) of nurses and midwives had experienced redundancies in their organisation.· 67% said the cuts had adversely affected their health and 69% their family life.· A massive 88% said that their workload had increased in the last year.· 81% ranked caring for patients as being the best aspect of their work

Department of Health: NHS Modernisation – Listening Exercise
UNISON response, May 2011

Executive summary

UNISON remains fundamentally opposed to the government’s plans to bring about a massive top-down structural reorganisation of the NHS that favours markets and competition over integration and cooperation. The union’s key concerns are laid out below:

· Government plans represent a move to wholesale competition. This will undermine attempts to provide more integrated care both with the NHS and between health and social care. The application of competition law means the NHS is likely to become increasingly mired in wasteful litigation.
· The NHS will become increasingly subject to European competition law, meaning that instead of devolving responsibility to the local level, government plans will permit the EU a greater say in the way the NHS is organised.
· The full-blooded market system will allow services, wards or even entire hospitals to be lost with insufficient contingency arrangements to protect continuity of care for patients.
· The regulatory system is insufficiently robust to deal with the new provider landscape.
· Changes are needed to the Department of Health’s Operating Framework to rule price competition out completely, and the regulator Monitor must be forced to toe this line.
· The move to Any Willing / Qualified Provider will lead to instability and waste. It could even lead to less choice for patients in the longer term. UNISON supports a return to the previous model in which the NHS was the “preferred provider”.
· Plans to undermine NICE and bring about “medication tourism” will increase health inequalities and threaten value for money.
· The government’s plans are riddled with conflicts of interest and undermine the accountability of the health service to patients, public and Parliament. Most significantly, the Secretary of State should not be able to abrogate responsibility for the NHS. And handing responsibility for charges to commissioning consortia opens up the prospect of more widespread charging for services or top-up fees.
· Health and Wellbeing Boards need to have greater democratic involvement and need stronger powers. The plans for local HealthWatch also need strengthening.
· Government plans for education and training will lead to a loss of strategic planning and will undermine the ability of the system to respond effectively to changing demands.
· Separating out the commissioning of pre- and post- registration courses poses a significant risks to the effective way in which workforce planning currently operates.
· There is a need for substantial extra training for those visiting health and care providers.
· There is a need to retain national workforce structures for terms and conditions, for pay and bargaining, and for training and education.
· The abolition of the private patient income cap mean that some foundation trusts will prioritise those that pay for their care over NHS patients, who will find themselves waiting longer for operations and treatment.
· Reassurances about the need for foundation trusts to reinvest their private patient income in improving NHS services have been inadequate. Plans for foundation trusts to keep separate accounts listing their private patient income and their NHS income are so far only referred to in the Bill’s supporting documents, not in the actual legislation itself.
· For social workers, the right of appeal will in future be much narrower and less responsive to the complexities of social work cases. Pursuing an appeal will become more expensive and risky. The current Care Standards Tribunal system has proved itself to be accessible, efficient and cost effective in ensuring fair outcomes for social workers.

Interest rates held-UNISON reaction

Commenting on interest rates being held at 0.5%, Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:“The Bank of England has made the right decision by keeping interest rates low but inflation is hitting people hard. “The vast majority of UNISON members have not had a pay rise for two years and rising inflation is what is hitting families hard. The price of everyday goods such as food and fuel are going up and just making ends meet is a real struggle.“However, interest rates aside, the Government must re-think its damaging cuts strategy and concentrate on stimulating growth to preserve and create much needed jobs.”

Labour: The Party of the NHS

• The National Health Service is the Labour Party’s greatest achievement. We created it, we
saved it, we value it and we will always support it.
• In 1997 the NHS was suffering from years of neglect and underfunding. With sustained
investment and reform, Labour turned it into a high-quality service for patients, at the heart of
which is a core value: care provided on the basis of need, not of ability to pay.
• Under the Tories, the NHS was neglected:
• Between 1979 and 1997, inpatient waiting lists went up by over 400,000.
• In 1997, 284,000 patients were waiting for over six months for their operations. In
1995, the Tories introduced a waiting time target of 18 months – and they failed to
meet it.
• In 1997, just 63% of people with suspected cancer were seen by a specialist within
two weeks of referral.
• In 1997, half the NHS estate was older than the NHS itself, with buildings dating from
before 1948.
• Labour brought enormous improvements to the NHS between 1997 and 2010, including:
• 89,000 more nurses and 44,000 more doctors in the NHS, helping to drive up
standards and drive down waits.
• Before 1997 it was not uncommon for patients to wait over 18 months for an
operation – by 2010 Labour guaranteed that nobody need wait more than 18 weeks
• Waiting lists fell by over 500,000 with waiting times at their lowest level since records
began.
• In 1997, 284 000 patients waited more than 6 months for an operation. By 2010 the
figure was almost zero.
• 3 million more operations carried out each year than in 1997.
• The premature mortality rate for cancer the lowest ever recorded, saving nearly 9,000
lives in 2006 compared to 1996.
• Premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases dropped by more than 40 per cent
since 1996, saving nearly 34,000 lives a year.
• The NHS delivered the largest hospital building programme in its history, with 118 new
hospital schemes opened and a further 18 under construction.
• Labour created new services to provide patients with greater convenience including
around 100 new walk-in centres and over 750 one-stop primary care centres.
• By 2010, over three quarters of GP practices offered extended opening hours for at
least one evening or weekend session a week.
• All prescriptions are now free for people being treated for cancer or the effects of
cancer, and teenage girls are offered a vaccination against cervical cancer.
• Labour delivered a guarantee of seeing a cancer specialist within two weeks if your GP
suspects you may have cancer, and guaranteed that whatever your condition, you
would not have to wait more than 18 weeks from GP referral to the start of hospital
treatment – and most waits were much shorter than this.

Threat of statutory duty removal

Rubbish could litter our streets, bodies could pile up, vulnerable children could be left without care, strip clubs could be set up on any corner, and mouldy chops could stack up on our shelves. These are just some of the damaging things that could happen if the Tory government presses ahead with plans to cut the duties on councils that protect us all, and give us better communities. UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today publishes a list of crazy cuts that could leave communities exposed. In its submission to the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (CLG) consultation on statutory duties, UNISON is calling on the government to protect our communities by putting a stop to its damaging plans. Heather Wakefield, UNISON Head of Local Government, said: “The coalition has made some pretty crazy and dangerous decisions, but even thinking about getting rid of some of these duties is up there with the best of them. “If the Tories press ahead with their race to scrap the so-called ‘red tape’, they could see bodies pile up on the street, as nobody has responsibility for mortuaries. We could see gas safety fall and recycling schemes dry up. Unregulated taxis could prowl the streets and strip clubs set up on any corner. “Eric Pickles only needs to scratch the surface to find out that these duties protect our communities, making them safer and better places to live. Like a lot of other Tory plans, this consultation should go on the scrapheap.” Crazy cuts rundown Gas Appliances (Safety) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/1629) Local Authorities are responsible for keeping gas safe. How many people will be put at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if this is abolished? Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004 Section 7 Makes provision for the purpose of extinguishing fires and protecting life and property. Who else should do this? Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004 Section 8 Makes provision for the purpose of rescuing people in the event of road traffic accidents. Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (England) (Order) 2007 (SI 2007/735) made under s. 9 FRSA 2004 Makes provision for chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear emergency and urban search and rescue. Who will the public turn to if this duty is removed? Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 Section 7 Local Authorities have a duty to provide a library service. Will libraries be cut to extinction if this is abolished? Gambling Act 2005 Section 159 Councils have to licence premises for gambling activities. How would corrupt operators be stopped if this was abolished? Licensing Act 2003 Section 18 Requires local authorities to have a system for regulating premises licenses, including issuing licenses. Would we see strip clubs set up on any corner? Zoo Licensing Act 1981 Councils should ensure zoos are safe for the public to visit and have a high standard of welfare for animals. What cruel and bad practices would come into place with unregulated zoos? Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 45 A Councils have to arrange for the collection of recyclable materials. Is our care for the planet going to be dumped? Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 89 Councils currently have to keep land and highways clear of litter. Would litter start to pile up on our streets? Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1499) Councils are responsible for ensuring food labelling is accurate and out of date food is not being sold. Do we want to eat old sausages or have ingredients missed off the label? Public Health Act 1936 Councils have to provide mortuaries. Would removing this duty see bodies pile up in the street? Children Act 1989 Section 33 Councils take vulnerable children into care and look after them. Who would take over this role if this duty was scrapped? Local Government (Misc. Provisions) Act 1976 Section 54 Councils licence taxi drivers. If they stopped doing this, how dangerous would it be to get into a cab? Highways Act 1980 Section 41(1A) Puts local Authorities responsible for dealing with snow and ice – who else could take this up? New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 Section 81 Councils have to tell other bodies when they (or a utility company) are digging up the road. Without this, would we see roads in constant upheaval? Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended) Section 5 (1) Makes local authorities one of the authorities responsible for formulating and implementing strategies to tackle crime and disorder. Who else can create a joined-up approach? Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) Section 9 Requires local authorities to participate in domestic homicide reviews with a view to improving policies and practice and preventing further violence and homicide. Tackling domestic violence requires a multi-agency approach – should this be optional? Juries Act 1974 Section 3 Requires electoral registration officers to provide the Lord Chancellor with copies of the electoral register from which potential jurors can be summoned. A vital cog in the wheel of justice. Crime and Disorder Act 1989 Section 39 (5) Establishes the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary ethos behind the Youth Offending Teams. Putting into practice decades of experience. Criminal Justice Act 2003 Section 325 Requires agencies to work together to manage the risks posed by offenders following their release from custody, for example to ensure that paedophiles aren’t inadvertently housed by the local authority near a school, or in an estate with many families. It is necessary to have one body – the locally accountable one – ensuring that this coordination happens – it can’t be optional. Freedom of Information Act 2000 Councils have to disclose information to the public on request. Do we want a culture of secrecy from the people we elect?

UNISON May Day warning to government

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:The Tory/LibDem government’s first anniversary in power has been marked by the shocking news that the NHS will have to make more billions of pounds of so-called “efficiency” savings. So much for the pre-general election claim that the NHS was safe in Tory/Lib Dem hands. The path from last May is scattered with broken promises and from the casualties of this coalition government’s public spending cuts. The economy is still in intensive care, but the government’s medicine is not working.We know that worse lies ahead. After the double bank holiday feel-good factor wears off, the reality of austerity Britain will kick back in. For public sector workers and the people who rely on them; for the sick, the vulnerable, the elderly, the jobless and those seeking to better themselves through education, the future is bleak.Unless this government changes direction, it is heading for industrial turmoil on a massive scale. The government must understand that UNISON will fight tooth and nail to protect and defend public services. And UNISON will ballot one million of its members to strike to protect their pensions. This will not be a token skirmish, but a prolonged and sustained war, because this government has declared war on a huge proportion of the population.Many have the opportunity in elections this week to let the government know exactly what they think of its handling of the economy. The government would be wise to take note of that verdict.

UNISON warns, "Cuts cost lives" - on Workers Memorial Day

On Workers Memorial Day (28 April), UNISON is warning that the number of workplace deaths will rocket, as Government cuts and job losses pile pressure on workers and lead to bosses cutting corners. Staff who keep their jobs will be expected to do more work, with bullying, lone working, manual handling, stress and violence running rife. Health and safety enforcement agencies are also being hit by huge cut backs, which will lead to failures in dodging daily dangers. The UK’s largest union is asking its members to hold a minute’s silence, to remember workers who have died, or been injured, across the UK and internationally.UNISON’s General Secretary, Dave Prentis, who will be holding a minute’s silence at midday, said: “The Government’s cuts will cost lives. Too many workers are still suffering because of workplace injuries, yet the Government is adding to the risks by piling pressure on staff and enforcement agencies. “Last year the Labour Government officially recognised Workers Memorial Day, this year the Government is cutting away at health and safety. “Staff deserve to know that they will not be at risk when they start a hard day’s work. They should not have to fear for their lives while providing vital public services. “Around 70 per cent of workplace accidents are due to the poor health and safety management. The Government must stop this figure spiraling, as we know that there is an alternative.”