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PRIMARY CARE UPDATE – November 2009
Welcome to the latest Primary Care update which includes the latest information on the change in government policy which confirms that the NHS is the preferred provider of healthcare services.
UNISON links UNISON News www.unison.org.uk/news UNISON Primary Care www.unison.org.uk/pct UNISON’s A Million Voices for Change campaign www.unison.org.uk/million
The NHS as the ‘Preferred Provider’ of services The recent statement from the Secretary of State, Andy Burnham, MP clarifying the government’s policy that the NHS is the preferred provider of services has been warmly welcomed by NHS staff and trade unions. This policy change is important in curbing the drive towards the marketisation and privatisation of healthcare in England. UNISON is committed to the continuous improvement of healthcare and believes this is best achieved by managers, unions and staff, commissioners and providers working in partnership and co-operation to deliver better and more accessible services.
The change in policy has been agreed through the national NHS Social Partnership Forum (SPF) and the partners – government, employers and trade unions - are currently working to draw up new implementation guidance for the Transforming Community Services programme including replacing the document ’Necessity not Nicety’ and revising the PCT Procurement Guide’, ‘Principles and Rules for Co-operation and Competition’ and the ‘NHS Standard Contract’.
Over the coming weeks UNISON will be producing materials to raise awareness of the preferred provider policy and will also be issuing an updated version of the ‘Transforming Community Services – A trade union guide’.
Whilst we expect all SHA’s and PCT’s to follow the new government policy, we have evidence that some may try to resist the change and purse an agenda of greater marketisation and privatisation of healthcare. Branches should take action in such cases and draw to the attention of the PCT and/or employer that government policy and expectation has changed. Should this fail to bring the policy into line, branches will wish to consider appropriate action in conjunction with other unions locally and with the support of their regional office.
A UNISON Frequently Asked Questions guide is attached (HC-106-09) to assist branches and activists to understand and take forward the ‘Preferred Provider’ policy at local level.
The following information is available from the Primary Care section of the UNISON website: TCS PCT feedback questionnaire (complete this short survey to update us on what’s happening in your PCT)
Andy Burnham’s letter to Brendan Barber Letter from David Nicholson to NHS chief executives
The NHS Staff Passport is launched The NHS Staff Passport was launched this month by the national Social Partnership Forum (SPF). The NHS Staff Passport is a web tool to help staff to understand their rights should their employer consider transferring them to another NHS organisation, a local authority, or a voluntary or private sector organisation. It also provides advice for trade union representatives, managers and HR advisers.
UNISON has led the work on developing the NHS Staff Passport and believes that the knowledge it can provide to staff and trade union representatives gives us the best opportunity to ensure that rights and protections are upheld and implemented in the event of staff transfers.
The NHS Staff Passport can be viewed and downloaded from the SPF website www.socialpartnershipforum.org Each section of the NHS Staff Passport can be downloaded for staff without internet access.
UNISON responds to inquiry into Commissioning UNISON has responded to a government Health Select Committee inquiry into commissioning, including how effective commissioning is in PCTs. UNISON’s submission included feedback from branches and highlights the union’s concerns around the implementation of the Department of Health’s World Class Commissioning programme, particularly in terms of an excessive focus on marketisation, insufficient trade union involvement, and the potential for major conflicts of interest through the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners. It also points out that the intensification of the purchaser / provider split since 2005 has led to time and resources being wasted on facilitating the market rather than being dedicated solely to improving care.
Direct payments for health care - consultation The Department of Health is seeking views on the government’s proposals for piloting direct payments for healthcare, as part of the wider pilot programme to explore personal health budgets announced in Lord Darzi’s High Quality Care For All report. English primary care trusts are already able to offer personal budgets that do not involve giving money directly to individuals, however, the if passed, the new Health Bill will allow for direct payments – where individuals receive money to arrange and pay for their own services. The consultation describes how the Department intends to use the powers in the Bill to make regulations to enable pilot sites to test direct payments.
UNISON will be submitting a response restating the union’s support for patients to receive the most appropriate and tailored services possible and reinforcing the union’s opposition to importing the consumerist ideology of direct payments and personal health budgets into the NHS. Details of the consultation can be found here Comments or feedback for inclusion in UNISON’s response can be sent to Guy Collis at g.collis@unison.co.uk by 11 December 2009.
UNISON’s primary care network is growing Please encourage UNISON members, representatives and activists within your Branch or workplace to become a Primary Care contact. Ask them if they would like to join the distribution list by sending their name, membership number (if possible), email address and workplace details to: primarycarecontacts@unison.co.uk to receive updates on the latest national developments.
PRIMARY CARE UPDATE – October 2009
Welcome to the latest Primary Care update which includes details of an important statement from the Secretary of State confirming the government’s policy that the NHS is the preferred provider of healthcare services.
UNISON links UNISON News www.unison.org.uk/news UNISON Primary Care www.unison.org.uk/pct UNISON’s A Million Voices for Change campaign www.unison.org.uk/million
New Department Of Health Commissioning Policy - ‘NHS is the Preferred Provider’ The Secretary of State, Andy Burnham has written to Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC confirming government policy, that the NHS is the preferred provider of healthcare services. This follows a campaign by NHS Together trade unions, led by UNISON against increasing tendering and privatisation of community health services as a result of the government's Transforming Community Services policy. UNISON branches representing staff working in PCT’s and their provider arms are encouraged to enter into local discussions with staff sides and their employers to discuss the impact of this statement on the progress of the Transforming Community Services project in their area.
A copy of the
Letter to Brendan Barber is available here:
A statement
embodying the principles in the letter has been agreed by the Social Partnership
Forum (England):
A letter has this week been sent out confirming this policy statement to all PCT and SHA Chief Executives. UNISON is concerned about the paragraph on social enterprises in the letter and we will be making representations to the Department of Health and ministers seeking clarity on the ministerial position and policy. Letter from David Nicholson to NHS chief executives
For the latest UNISON TCS guidance go to: http://www.unison.org.uk/pct/tcs.asp
Activist Training – Service Reviews UNISON is putting together a one-day training course for activists on how they can get involved in the service reviews that will take place in PCTs as part of TCS. The course aims to demystify the service review process, focussing less on technical aspects and more on practical steps for branch engagement and campaigning. The course will also include advice on branch involvement in service improvement plans that are likely to follow from service reviews. The first pilot of the training course took place on 29 September 2009 and will be rolled out to regions shortly.
UNISON Evidence to NHS Pay Review Body UNISON has submitted a report to the NHS Pay Review Body outlining the views and experiences of NHS staff following a survey of members over the summer. Additional evidence was also jointly submitted from the NHS trade unions on the wider economic context, labour market conditions, recruitment and retention and staff morale. This evidence will support UNISON’s position that the multi-year deal for NHS staff should not be disturbed and that the pay rates scheduled to come into effect on 1 April for 2010 in the final year of the multi-year deal should remain as agreed. The report is available to download on the UNISON website at: www.unison.org.uk/paymatters/health
UNISON’s primary care network is growing Please encourage UNISON members, representatives and activists within your Branch or workplace to become a Primary Care contact. Ask them if they would like to join the distribution list by sending their name, membership number (if possible), email address and workplace details to: primarycarecontacts@unison.co.uk to receive updates on the latest national developments. .
Primary Care Update - September 2009Welcome to the latest Primary Care update which includes the latest Transforming Community Services news and campaigning materials.
UNISON links UNISON News www.unison.org.uk/news UNISON Primary Care www.unison.org.uk/pct UNISON’s A Million Voices for Change campaign www.unison.org.uk/million
Primary Care News – Autumn 2009 The latest edition of Primary Care News is attached. It contains news on Transforming Community Services and UNISON's fight against health service privatisation as part of our Million Voices for Change campaign. A supply of these newsletters has been sent to each England Region for distribution. Branches who wish to receive additional hard copies can order these from UNISON Communications under Stock Item No. 2462. The newsletter is also available to download from: www.unison.org.uk/pct
UNISON call to defend the NHS
At the TUC
congress this week, UNISON called to arms health unions and workers, to reignite
the NHS Together campaign, to fight for a moratorium on private companies
delivering healthcare and for better standards of patient care. The motion,
passed by the TUC in Liverpool, also called for the co-operation and competition
panel to be scrapped saying that efficiency can be improved without resorting to
privatisation. Read more from the TUC congress at: www.unison.org.uk/news
Latest UNISON TCS resources and guidance For the latest info go to: www.unison.org.uk/pct/transform_com.asp
New UNISON TCS briefings include: Using overview and scrutiny - briefing: This briefing looks at the role of your local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) and Local Involvement Networks (LINks) and how they can help you to challenge NHS privatisation. Cooperation & Competition Panel - briefing: The government has set up the NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel as part of its drive to intensify the development of the NHS market in England. This briefing explains the role of the Panel and the major implications it could have for the NHS.
Other materials available include: Transforming Community Services Q&A for members - click here ‘The NHS is under threat from privatisation’ leaflets and posters – click here and scroll down the page 'Transforming Community Services: enabling new patterns of provision' joint union guidance UNISON TCS PowerPoint presentation for local briefings. Primary care is changing leaflet (incorporating UNISON application form) Transforming Community Services factsheet Transforming Community Services: Social enterprises factsheet TCS info for Local Involvement Network (LINk) members factsheet Service Reviews – what you need to know factsheet
UNISON’s primary care network is growing Please encourage UNISON members, representatives and activists within your Branch or workplace to become a Primary Care contact. Ask them if they would like to join the distribution list by sending their name, membership number (if possible), email address and workplace details to: primarycarecontacts@unison.co.uk to receive updates on the latest national developments.
Primary Care Update - August 2009Welcome to the latest Primary Care update which includes the latest Transforming Community Services news and campaigning materials.
UNISON links UNISON News www.unison.org.uk/news UNISON Primary Care www.unison.org.uk/pct UNISON Positively Public briefing - the latest campaigning, privatisation and good practice news www.unison.org.uk/positivelypublic/ppbriefing.asp
UNISON Transforming Community Services – the latest UNISON guidance and materials on TCS www.unison.org.uk/pct/transform_com.asp The NHS is under threat from privatisation: materials to support your local campaign UNISON is campaigning against the Department of Health's Transforming Community Services (TCS) programme which has seen the government pushing for Primary Care Trusts (England) to adopt new organisational structures including social enterprises and private sector companies. Staff are facing the possibility of being transferred out of the NHS, and UNISON is campaigning to stop this happening. New campaigning materials with the message ‘The NHS is under threat from privatisation’ are now available. There is a recruitment leaflet, a poster, and a leaflet aimed at the public – they can be viewed on line at www.unison.org.uk/pct/transform_com.asp and hard copies can be ordered by your local UNISON branch. The materials are designed to help branches and members run effective campaigns locally and to help UNISON bring an end to private sector involvement in our NHS.
UNISON members fight against privatisation at Hull PCT UNISON has held a series of demonstrations following the announcement of plans by Hull PCT to transfer all healthcare services, including about 1,500 staff, out of the NHS. The union is challenging the plans and supporting members, many of whom were not aware that they would no longer be working for the NHS. The local campaign was highlighted in a recent article in Public Finance magazine, available here For more information on campaigning in your area and how you can get involved please contact your local Branch or Regional Office. For the latest UNISON guidance and campaigning materials on TCS go to www.unison.org.uk/pct/transform_com.asp
Health Select Committee inquiry into NHS commissioning The Health Select Committee has decided to undertake an inquiry into how effective and successful the move toward commissioning and contestability has been in the NHS. UNISON is currently preparing a response to the inquiry. Our response will raise serious concerns about the way that, rather than providing quality NHS services to patients, Primary Care Trusts are being forced to develop commissioning bodies, resulting in some services being outsourced to the private sector or to social enterprises. If you have any evidence to submit for inclusion in UNISON’s response, please contact Guy Collis at g.collis@unison.co.uk by Friday 28 August. Further information on the Health Select Committee inquiry can be found at: www.parliament.uk/healthcom
New Model Agreements on Procurement and Two-Tier Workforce UNISON has recently published new model procurement and two-tier workforce agreements to help branches negotiate with employers on these crucial issues. The aim of the model procurement agreement is to help branches to engage with employers at all stages of the commissioning process, which may help to ensure that services are not outsourced. The model two-tier workforce agreement is intended to help to end situations where contracts are issued that force staff transferred to a new employer to work alongside new starters on different terms and conditions. Although government regulations are supposed to prevent this, the two-tier workforce has become an all-too-regular feature of public sector contracts. Both agreements are available at www.unison.org.uk/activists/procurement
UNISON’s primary care network is growing Please encourage UNISON members, representatives and activists within your Branch or workplace to become a Primary Care contact. Ask them if they would like to join the distribution list by sending their name, membership number (if possible), email address and workplace details to: primarycarecontacts@unison.co.uk to receive updates on the latest national developments.
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