UNISON NURSES CALLING FOR CHANGE
Monday 24 January 2022
UNISON Nursing Forum have jointly met with Chief Nursing Officers from the 5 Trusts.
Our nursing reps spoke of their deep concerns on the major demands on the HSC nursing workforce and the increasing challenges they are facing.
Among the issues raised are:
- The casualization of nursing staff and the year-on-year increase of nursing staff holding dual contracts with private nursing agencies for the past ten years
- Staff worried about their registration
- A&Es jammed
- GPs pushing patients to A&Es
- Community nursing – working over their hours, carrying out paperwork outside working hours, not getting travel time.
Unison has asked for Trust CNOs to engage with nursing reps on the pressure points and undertake some local agreed action per Trust on the following:
- HR to take back control of recruitment
- Restructure of Bank arrangement
- Reduction of off-contract agency use.
- Implementation of ACF - JE Nurse band 5/6 run through
- Greater focus on accommodation of flexible working
The delegation also pressed CNOs to support the demand for a Regional well resourced retention and recruitment strategy.