Bedroom Tax Conference Saturday 29th June

There have been many comparisons made between the Bedroom Tax and the Poll Tax. Most of these are misplaced. The bedroom tax is much, much, worse than the Poll Tax.  Unlike the Poll Tax it only affects the poor  - and is specifically designed to drive them from their homes.

It is, as the STUC put it, “unfair, immoral and frankly absurd policy that will do nothing to improve the housing crisis that exists in this country”. There are there are steps that Councils and the Scottish Government can take but frankly we can’t rely on them. So the finale of the Austerity Uncovered tour the STUC are calling a Anti Bedroom Tax Conference in Edinburgh this Saturday. Try and be there.

The Spirit of 45'

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a  time when Britain responded to crippling debts and chronic daily hardship with a decisive move to the left: nationalising industry, building council houses and creating brand new public services from scratch.

The fact that it’s hard to imagine now is exactly why Ken Loach has made ‘The Spirit of ’45’.
The film is at its most emotionally powerful when talking about the foundation of the NHS.
Harry Keen tells of when, as a junior GP, he visited a family on the day the NHS came into being. He had previously left some medicine for a child with a cough. I said, “How’s little Johnny?” And Johnny’s mother said, “Oh he’s fine.”

And I heard a lot of coughing and spluttering at the top of the stairs. I said, “He doesn’t sound terribly good, would you like me to go up and see him?” She said, “No, I’m sorry doctor, we can’t afford it.” And I said “Today, July the fifth, it will cost you nothing.” And I was able to go up, and I’ve never forgotten that moment in my life.

Later we hear about how the NHS is now being privatised in England.

 Extract of an article at:
www.redpepper.org.uk/days-of-hope-the-spirit-of-45
Spirit of 45
Film 4 at 9pm Tonight
www.film4.com/reviews/2013/the-spirit-of-45

1% Pay Rise Delayed

The 1% pay rise awarded to over 155,000 NHS Scotland staff has been hit by further delays.

The pay rise was due to be paid in April but health workers will now have to wait until June for the extra money in their pay packets.

Although the pay rise will be backdated to April staff may have to wait even longer for back payments.

Willie Duffy, Head of Health for UNISON Scotland said: "Clearly this is unacceptable. We signed off a circular instructing health boards to implement the pay rise, three weeks ago.

"I was assured the pay rise would be in the May pay packet. Our members will be angry about this given that they have had the pay rise in England, the North of Ireland and Wales and we are still waiting."

"I am going to be writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil, to express my anger at the way the whole process has been handled and the fact we were assured it would be paid in May. I will be asking for an explanation from him as to why it has not been."

Hundreds of health workers win backdated maternity leave public holidays

Women health workers in Scotland are to receive backdated public holidays they were wrongly denied while on maternity leave.

NHS mums, including nurses, physiotherapists, cleaners, midwives, admin workers and other staff, could receive up to seven days if they were in full time posts. Women who have had more than one period of maternity leave since 2008 would be due backdated holidays for each period.

UNISON, the public services union, took up the case after the NHS employees, were told they could not accrue public holidays on top of their annual leave, while they were off on maternity leave.

Willie Duffy, the UNISON lead on the NHS, said that management conceded an argument first raised and won by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde UNISON branch.

He said: “As a result of UNISON’s efforts, potentially hundreds of women in the NHS will be getting back some backdated annual leave that they were refused previously.

“We knew that we were right to argue this should apply Scotland wide. The employers have agreed we were correct and agreed to implement it from April 2012. However, at first they would not backdate this any further.

“I am pleased that the employers side has now accepted that they made a mistake which they are committed to fixing and will backdate it to April 2008.”

Queen’s Speech

The Queen’s Speech sets out the UK Government’s legislative programme for the coming session. Most Bills do not apply to Scotland to any significant degree. This briefing covers the main points of interest.

Immigration Bill: This bill is designed to make it easier to deport people who do not have the right to stay in the UK, and to prevent immigrants accessing services to which they are not entitled. It covers Scotland and in addition to directly impacting on overseas members it will impact on public service staff who have to make the additional checks. This is more about political positioning post the UKIP electoral success in England last week.

Pension Bill: This will introduce a single-tier state-pension system, replacing the current basic state pension and earnings-related top-up from April 2016. The bill will also bring forward the increase in the retirement age to 67 by eight years, between 2026 and 2028. We have covered these changes in the Scottish Pensions Bulletin and it will involve increases in NI contributions for members and employers.

National Insurance Bill: The cost to small businesses of employing people will be cut through a £2,000 employment allowance. This may also help small voluntary organisations. It also aims to stop the use of offshore companies that are sometimes used by companies to avoid paying their National Insurance contributions.

Consumer Rights Bill: Will update consumer-protection laws (including Scotland) so they cover digital purchases such as downloaded music and e-books. Trading Standards will be granted new powers, such as being able to get a court to order a trader to pay compensation when consumer law is breached.

De-regulation Bill: A further attack on workers rights under the guise of reducing the amount of regulation with which businesses, individuals and public bodies have to comply. Measures include exempting from health-and-safety legislation people who are self-employed and whose work poses no risk of harm to other people, and removing the ability of  employment tribunals to make wider recommendations in successful discrimination cases. A Scottish Bill on de-regulation in devolved areas has recently been introduced in the Scottish Parliament.

Overall there is little in this programme to tackle the big issues facing Scotland or the UK. UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “It’s a typical Tory tactic to distract attention from the real problems we face by fostering a ‘blame immigrants’ culture, instead of tackling the huge divide between the rich and the poor. This government should face facts and accept that its policies are not working for the majority of people.”

UNISON SURVEY CALLS FOR SAFETY IN NUMBERS

UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, is challenging the Government over its refusal to implement what is potentially the most effective recommendation in the Francis report – the introduction of minimum staff to patient ratios.  This life-saving initiative would dramatically change life on the wards for patients and staff, providing a safer, more caring environment for all.

The call is backed by a new survey* from the union of more than 1500 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants which showed that 45% of respondents were looking after 8 or more patients on their shift. Research shows that looking after this number increases the risk of patient harm.   The survey, taken on a typical day in the life of the NHS - 5 March, reveals staff under severe strain, reflected in one chilling comment from a nurse: “my ward will end up killing someone. That’s how bad it is and how unsafe”.

In the most damning indictment of the state of the health service under this Coalition Government, almost 20% of respondents described care failings in their organisations as being on a par with the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust.

Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said:

“This survey exposes a health service under severe strain, where nurses are struggling to deliver the high levels of care that they set themselves on a daily basis.  On this typical day many staff worked through their break and stayed after their shift – but this still did not give them enough time to complete all their tasks.

“The hidden voice in the survey must surely be that of the patient who is not getting the level of care they are entitled to expect.

“The Government cannot escape its responsibilities to the NHS by pointing the finger at staff or managers.  Trusts are not being given the finance they need to deliver a growing and complex health service that demands highly expensive equipment, high-tech treatment and costly drugs.

“Government cuts are making matters worse by reducing staff, including nurses, at a time when patient demand is growing.  Introducing minimum nurse to patient ratios would provide a safety net of care, restore public confidence and show nursing staff they are respected and valued.”

The survey revealed a number of key concerns about life on the wards in hospitals across the country on 5 March 2013:

·              Almost two thirds of staff said they did not have enough time with each patient.

“I felt patients were neglected and always feel like this lately.”
·              Nearly 60% said they did not have enough time to deliver safe, dignified and compassionate patient care.

“Staff on the ward are stressed and getting emotional over the lack of care we are providing and no support is offered.”
·              Time constraints were blamed for patients not receiving the care that respondents felt should have been delivered, including - reassuring patients’ fears, explaining treatments and diagnosis.  Others cited missing out on taking patients to the toilet, giving food or drink, helping patients move and writing up full and accurate records. Saddest of all was not having enough time to spend with dying patients.

·              Over 85% of respondents support set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.

“Every shift I think my registration is on the line.”
·              More than half (55.7%) worked overtime and three out of 5 skipped breaks.

“I am fed up working every shift without a break, not even time to go to the toilet.”
·              85.4% said that there should be set national minimum nurse to patient ratios.

“We really did struggle.”  “Staff were stressed out due to both a lack of staff and trying to arrange to take over from a member of staff in A&E.”
UNISON is part of the Safe Staffing Alliance, and supports the Francis recommendation for a minimum ratio of staff to patients. There is growing evidence that where these are set and enforced, patient outcomes are better and, more importantly, safer.

UNISON is calling for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to begin working with other organisations, including patient bodies, to identify a UK model of nurse-to-patient ratios in all healthcare settings.   

Involve staff in health and social care integration or watch reform fail

UNISON yesterday warned that changes to services for the most vulnerable people must do more to involve staff or watch reform fail.
The public services union also said that Scottish Government plans to integrate health and social care services must maintain democratic accountability.
Speaking at the Scottish Trades Union Congress Annual Congress in Perth, UNISON Scotland Convener Lilian Macer listed four key principles for the STUC General Council to take to the Scottish Government:
Any attempts to open up the NHS to privatisation must be stopped; quality services, not cost-cutting must be a principle of integration; service users and staff must be at the centre of decision making; and democratic control is fundamental.
Lilian warned: "Real change comes when staff and service users work together planning how services should be delivered.
"All evidence shows that top down reorganisation won’t produce real integration. The focus must be on joint outcomes –agreed with local partners and relevant to their local circumstances.
"The proposals must have at their core the desire to improve services, not cut costs."
And she blasted proposals for the new Community Health and Social Care Partnerships, to be run by a single individual – the Jointly Accountable Officer, responsible for a multi million pound budget of public money.
Lilian said: "Technically accountable to both the local authority and the health board the so-called jointly accountable officer will in reality be accountable to no one."
UNISON has urged the Scottish Government to set in place a broad staffing framework, based on best practice, to cover a range of issues when public services are reformed.
These include: staff transfer, pensions, secondment, training and development, equality duties, governance and procurement – covering the protections that should prevent setting up a two tier workforce when services are contracted out.

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UNISON’s submission to the Scottish Government consultation on the integration of adult health and social care in Scotland is at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/response/
IntegrationofAdultHealthandSocialCare_response_Sep2012.pdf