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Unions braced for a pay battle over the Tories’ seven-day NHS pledge @alistairbauer
The new Conservative government will press ahead with plans to introduce a seven-day NHS by 2020. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who kept the role in prime minister David Cameron’s reshuffle, will put into action the party’s election manifesto promise for a ‘truly’ seven-day NHS. Hospitals will be ‘properly staffed so that the quality of care is the same every day of the week’, the plans state. The manifesto promised patients will be able to have a named GP and people aged over 75 will be guaranteed same-day GP appointments. The NHS Pay Review Body (RB) is expected to publish a report in July after being asked last summer by the coalition government to examine how to provide seven-day services without increasing existing spending. In February, the RCN published its own general election manifesto, Nursing Counts, which called on the next government to improve patient care, value nursing and invest in health and social care.
RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: ‘In the run up to the general election all parties made big commitments regarding the NHS. The Conservatives promised a cash injection of £8 billion and we would like to see that honoured.’ In a submission to the RB last December, the Department of Health said existing NHS staff contracts could be a barrier to seven-day working and one option would be to remove unsocial hours rates entirely.
Staff exodus
Following the election result, Unison head of health Christina McAnea told Nursing Standard: ‘Staff such as nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists who work unsocial hours currently get a fair payment for it. ‘The Conservatives want to stop that and they expect staff to fund seven-day working. But we will do everything we can to make sure this does not happen.’ Unite communications officer Mark Boothroyd, a staff nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, said: ‘All staff surveys point to more people leaving the NHS.
Cancer research nurse joins the Commons A breast cancer research sister is among a trio of MPs with nursing backgrounds to be elected to parliament last week. Conservative Maria Caulfield, who is a cancer research nurse working at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, ousted Norman Baker, the sitting Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes in East Sussex. Ms Caulfield joins two former nurses in the Commons – fellow Tories Anne Milton and Nadine Dorries. Ms Milton is a former district nurse and public health minister, having been
given a junior ministerial role by David Cameron in the early days of the coalition government. She has managed to retain her Guildford seat in Surrey. Ms Milton worked in the NHS for 25 years and entered the Commons in 2005. The former RCN steward said: ‘I am overwhelmed, honoured and privileged to get that sort of vote of confidence.’ Ms Dorries, who worked as a nurse at Warrington Hospital and the Royal Liverpool Teaching Hospital from 1975 to 1982, held her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
‘If we do not have enough staff to work a five-day week, they are not going to find extra people to work a seven-day week for less pay.’ The Conservatives want everyone to have access to GP services seven days a week within the next five years and have committed to providing an extra 10,000 community healthcare workers – 5,000 doctors and the rest drawn from nurses and allied health professionals. Royal College of Midwives policy director Jon Skewes said the college supports the Conservative manifesto pledge to improve mental health services for pregnant women, but added this cannot be done without the right number of midwives. ‘England is short of 3,000 full-time midwives, and this shortage will have a negative effect on the quality of services women receive,’ he said. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party secured a historic victory, winning 56 out of 59 seats. A party spokesperson said: ‘We will make sure Scotland’s NHS is always cared for – its budget protected and its future secure in public hands.’
Maria Caulfield with the prime minister
REX
By Alistair Kleebauer and Cathy Comerford
NURSING may :: vol 29without no 37 ::permission. 2015 7 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 14, 2015. For personal use only. No13 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Share your news with us – email [email protected], call +44 (0)20 8872 3144 or @NurseStandard
Unions braced for a pay battle over the Tories’ seven-day NHS pledge @alistairbauer
The new Conservative government will press ahead with plans to introduce a seven-day NHS by 2020. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who kept the role in prime minister David Cameron’s reshuffle, will put into action the party’s election manifesto promise for a ‘truly’ seven-day NHS. Hospitals will be ‘properly staffed so that the quality of care is the same every day of the week’, the plans state. The manifesto promised patients will be able to have a named GP and people aged over 75 will be guaranteed same-day GP appointments. The NHS Pay Review Body (RB) is expected to publish a report in July after being asked last summer by the coalition government to examine how to provide seven-day services without increasing existing spending. In February, the RCN published its own general election manifesto, Nursing Counts, which called on the next government to improve patient care, value nursing and invest in health and social care.
RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: ‘In the run up to the general election all parties made big commitments regarding the NHS. The Conservatives promised a cash injection of £8 billion and we would like to see that honoured.’ In a submission to the RB last December, the Department of Health said existing NHS staff contracts could be a barrier to seven-day working and one option would be to remove unsocial hours rates entirely.
Staff exodus
Following the election result, Unison head of health Christina McAnea told Nursing Standard: ‘Staff such as nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists who work unsocial hours currently get a fair payment for it. ‘The Conservatives want to stop that and they expect staff to fund seven-day working. But we will do everything we can to make sure this does not happen.’ Unite communications officer Mark Boothroyd, a staff nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, said: ‘All staff surveys point to more people leaving the NHS.
Cancer research nurse joins the Commons A breast cancer research sister is among a trio of MPs with nursing backgrounds to be elected to parliament last week. Conservative Maria Caulfield, who is a cancer research nurse working at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, ousted Norman Baker, the sitting Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes in East Sussex. Ms Caulfield joins two former nurses in the Commons – fellow Tories Anne Milton and Nadine Dorries. Ms Milton is a former district nurse and public health minister, having been
given a junior ministerial role by David Cameron in the early days of the coalition government. She has managed to retain her Guildford seat in Surrey. Ms Milton worked in the NHS for 25 years and entered the Commons in 2005. The former RCN steward said: ‘I am overwhelmed, honoured and privileged to get that sort of vote of confidence.’ Ms Dorries, who worked as a nurse at Warrington Hospital and the Royal Liverpool Teaching Hospital from 1975 to 1982, held her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
‘If we do not have enough staff to work a five-day week, they are not going to find extra people to work a seven-day week for less pay.’ The Conservatives want everyone to have access to GP services seven days a week within the next five years and have committed to providing an extra 10,000 community healthcare workers – 5,000 doctors and the rest drawn from nurses and allied health professionals. Royal College of Midwives policy director Jon Skewes said the college supports the Conservative manifesto pledge to improve mental health services for pregnant women, but added this cannot be done without the right number of midwives. ‘England is short of 3,000 full-time midwives, and this shortage will have a negative effect on the quality of services women receive,’ he said. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party secured a historic victory, winning 56 out of 59 seats. A party spokesperson said: ‘We will make sure Scotland’s NHS is always cared for – its budget protected and its future secure in public hands.’
Maria Caulfield with the prime minister
REX
By Alistair Kleebauer and Cathy Comerford
NURSING may :: vol 29without no 37 ::permission. 2015 7 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 14, 2015. For personal use only. No13 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
