UNISON today backs Patient Opinion website for rating NHS care

19 March 2013

UNISON today endorsed Patient Opinion, a website for rating NHS care.

See the BBC Scotland news report by health correspondent Eleanor Bradford. "A website which allows patients to rate the care they have received on the NHS is being formally supported by the Scottish government.

"Patient Opinion works in the same way as travel review websites, but contributors review the care at hospitals, surgeries and clinics.

"It hopes that by allowing patients to post opinions, services can be opened up to scrutiny and standards driven up.

"Funding has now been awarded for health boards to engage with the service...." (more on BBC site)


More information in the Scottish Government news release, which includes this comment from Tom Waterson, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s Health Committee.

He said: “Unison welcomes the Health Secretary’s move to encourage “real-time” dialogue between health boards, staff and patients.

"Patient stories can make a difference in many ways, both to the quality of care and the morale of hard working NHS staff in their desire to deliver world class care.

“They can be powerful motivational reminders to frontline staff of how they are making a difference to someone’s life and play an important role in educating the healthcare professionals of the future.”


Full details in the SG release, including that:

From today, the service will be available for the following health boards to respond to feedback from patients: NHS Highland, NHS Shetland, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Scottish Ambulance Service, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and National Education Scotland.

The remaining health boards will be asked to adopt the service by the end of the year.


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Ambulance crews reject payment for rest breaks

6 January 2012

Following a ballot UNISON members in the Ambulance Service have rejected an offer of payment for working rest breaks.

The result of the ballot was Accept 35% Reject 65%

UNISON Scotland organiser David Forbes said:

“This is fundamentally an issue of resourcing. Our members have been consistently telling us they need their uninterrupted rest breaks. They need to be able to switch off for a part of the day in order to deliver the best possible service for patients.

“We will be meeting with the employer on Monday and urging them to  ensure that the ambulance service is sufficiently resourced to deliver the excellent service patients require and expect whilst allowing for decent treatment of staff.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Previous UNISON Press releases on the dispute can be found here

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2011/septoct/2309.htm

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2011/julyaug/0807.htm

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2011/mayjune/2206a.htm

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Scotland's ambulance workers overwhelmingly reject working time plans

Scotland's ambulance workers have overwhelmingly rejected latest proposals by the Scottish Ambulance Service to resolve a protracted working time dispute.

Members of the UNISON and Unite unions were balloted on the proposed changes to their terms and conditions, with both trades unions returning an 80 per cent rejection of the offer of 12th August.

However, proposals for a lump sum payment of £250 a year for workers to respond to meal break during unpaid time, plus £50 per call-out, fails to address the wider issues at play.

David Forbes, Regional Organiser for UNISON, said: "The employer's offer was put to our members and they have voted overwhelmingly to reject these proposals.

"Ambulance work is very demanding and our members greatly value balance and stability in their working time, during which it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that adequate staff and resources are in place to cover these periods. Our members deal with life and death decisions day in, day out. That's why it's so important to staff - and for the piece of mind of the Scottish public - that often long and stressful shifts are underpinned by clarity in the terms and conditions of this essential workforce."

Unite Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said, "This rejection merely scratches the surface of the issue. Our members want to see the Scottish Ambulance Service properly resourced and fit to serve the public. Instead they have been demonised for following imposed working time changes. In 2004, the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) reduced our members' working week by 2.5 hours. Simply trying to pigeon-hole the unresolved issue of unpaid working time as a 'meal-break' fails to address the matter. Lump sum payments merely ignore the problems created by AfC - problems that can be resolved very quickly by the Scottish Government and through a negotiated agreement which both UNISON and Unite members are fully committed."

ENDS

Notes to editors

UNISON's ballot saw a turnout of 74.1 per cent of members. Of these members, 79.2 per cent voted to reject the proposals. Unite's ballot saw a turnout of 67 per cent of members. Of these members, 80 per cent voted to reject the proposals.

Ambulance workers, along with other NHS staff, work 37.5 hours per week, with an additional 30 minute unpaid meal break each day.