Lack of protective equipment for health and social care staff is “a crisis within a crisis”

The heads of Britain’s health and social care unions have today (Wednesday) warned ministers that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health and social care workers is a “crisis within a crisis”.    

In a joint statement – signed by seven organisations including UNISON, the Royal College of Midwives, GMB, Unite and TUC – they call on the government to urgently increase the supply of PPE to staff in the NHS and social care. 

The union leaders warn that workers are being forced to risk their lives:  “It is now clear that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers has become a crisis within a crisis. 

“Workers are being exposed to unreasonable and unnecessary risk by the ongoing failure to provide key workers with adequate PPE.

“Every day we hear from our members that despite repeated assurances from government, people are being asked to work with inadequate or out of date protective equipment – and that is where PPE is being provided at all.

“Key workers deserve better. They are risking their own health and safety for us.

“We must be clear what that means. Those who are subject to prolonged and direct exposure to the virus – such as health and social care professionals – are risking their lives.”    

The union leaders warn that staff are being threatened with disciplinary action for raising concerns about unsafe working conditions:  

“Where workers refuse to undertake activities because they do not have the appropriate PPE, they run the risk of disciplinary action, or even worse, letting down people who rely on them going to work.

“Workers are told not to speak out. They are effectively gagged to stop them raising their concerns.  

“We need urgent action now, and transparency on procurement, distribution, timescales and exactly how and when workers can expect to get the protection they need and deserve.” 

The union leaders call on ministers to work with unions and employers to identify shortfalls:

“Government must put in place clear systems for employers to report shortages and shortfalls.  And guarantee that no member of staff will be put under pressure to perform tasks without adequate protective equipment.

“As a trade union movement we are willing and able to work with government to get through this crisis. But we cannot allow our members to be put at unnecessary and entirely preventable risk.

“We seek an urgent meeting and urgent action to make sure that PPE is making it to our front line.  It is the very least workers deserve.” 

The unions als warn that as well as health and social care staff, key workers from a range of sectors urgently need PPE.  

Notes to editors:   
– The signatories to the statement are:
Frances O’Grady, general secretary, TUC
Dave Prentis, general secretary, UNISON
Gill Walton, chief executive officer and general secretary, Royal College of Midwives
Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary, Unite
Tim Roache, general secretary, GMB
Professor Karen Middleton, chief executive, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Annette Mansell-Green, director of trade union and public affairs, British Dietetic Association 

– The full statement reads:  

We jointly represent many workers who are on the frontline of tackling Covid-19.

Our members care for the sick and the elderly, they look after our children and keep them safe, they make sure there is food on the supermarket shelves, they keep the lights on and the water running.

We are weeks into fighting Covid-19. It is now clear that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers has become  a crisis within a crisis.

Workers are being exposed to unreasonable and unnecessary risk by the ongoing failure to provide key workers with adequate PPE.

Every day we hear from our members that despite repeated assurances from government, people are being asked to work with inadequate or out of date protective equipment – and that is where PPE is being provided at all.

Many groups of healthcare workers are at greater risk than others due to their prolonged exposure along with the nature of their contact with patients. Sufficient supplies of the required higher level of PPE are critical for them to be able to care for patients while not putting themselves at risk.

Too often, we are hearing of inappropriate ‘tiering’ of PPE where the health of one group of workers is prioritised over another, especially when it comes to outsourced workers.

Where workers refuse to undertake activities because they do not have the appropriate PPE, they run the risk of disciplinary action, or even worse, letting down people who rely on them going to work.

Workers are told not to speak out. They are effectively gagged to stop them raising their concerns.

Key workers deserve better.

They are risking their own health and safety for us. We must be clear what that means, those who are subject to prolonged and direct exposure to the virus – such as health and social care professionals – are risking their lives.

We need urgent action now, and transparency on procurement, distribution, timescales and exactly how and when workers can expect to get the protection they need and deserve.

Government must utilise the skills of the UK manufacturers to urgently increase supply, and put in place clear systems for employers to report shortages and shortfalls.

Finally, we call on the government and employers to guarantee that no member of staff will be put under pressure to perform tasks without adequate protective equipment.

As  a trade union movement, we are willing and able to work with government to get through this crisis, but we cannot allow our members to be put at risk. We seek an urgent meeting and urgent action to make sure that PPE is making it to our front line.

It is the very least workers deserve.

– The statement is also supported by other unions, including NASUWT   

Media contacts:   

TUC press office T: 020 7467 1248 E: media@tuc.org.uk    
   

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Testing increase welcome, but government must be careful not to overpromise, says UNISON

Commenting on the announcement by health secretary Matt Hancock today (Thursday) that the government is aiming to conduct 100,000 tests by the end of April, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Testing is key in the fight against the virus. It’s clear the UK isn’t doing enough. We can’t waste another minute.

“But the government must be realistic about what’s possible and not overpromise. Delivering over the coming weeks will be crucial to how both frontline staff and the wider public view the government’s ability to manage the crisis.

“Many NHS and care staff at home in isolation want to be tested. They’re frustrated that the lack of testing kits is preventing their return to the frontline. Speed and accuracy are now of the essence.”

Note to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

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Back to the frontline

The NHS and the country is facing an unprecedented challenge in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

We’re going to need the skills and experience of everyone who can offer them to come through this challenge.

Before working for UNISON, I worked as a nurse in a critical care rapid response team. So now I’m going back into the NHS to provide cover and help my colleagues during this emergency. We’re going to see big numbers of very sick people coming into hospitals and we need to support each other to deal with this as well as possible.

Retired healthcare workers have been asked if they can consider coming back into healthcare to provide support during this emergency. We’re encouraging those who can to assist – and UNISON will provide support and representation for those who are able to do so.

We’ve also negotiated agreements with the NMC and chief nursing officers of each country to enable nursing students who have the right skills to be able to work in the NHS and continue learning at this time.

During any emergency, the first priority always has to be protecting those who care. Nurses can’t continue caring if they’re put at risk, so it’s important they have the right protective equipment, time to rest, and support and training for their roles.

UNISON has been fighting to make sure all of this is in place for all healthcare workers and students, and will continue doing so right through the response to this pandemic.

I’d like to say a massive thank you to all of those who are stepping forward to offer help.

Coronavirus: your rights at work

Public Health England Advice for health workers

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New minimum wages rates take effect from today

New national minimum wage rates come into force today, bringing a pay rise for care and other workers across the country whose vital, but low-paid, work has been highlighted in the current crisis.

“Today’s pay rise will make a real difference to over a million low-paid workers across the country,” said general secretary Dave Prentis.

“Many care staff are on the minimum wage. They’re looking after the elderly and vulnerable in the most challenging of circumstances and deserve every penny.

“All employers must ensure their staff get the legal increase.”

From 1 April, the hourly national minimum wage is:

• £8.72, up from £8.21, for workers aged 25 and above;
• £8.20, from £7.70, for workers aged 21-24;
• £6.45, from £6.15, for workers aged 18-20;
• £4.55, from £4.35, for workers aged 16-17;
• £4.15, from £3.90, for apprentices aged under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship.

The government rebranded the top level of the national minimum wage as the ‘living wage’ in 2016, but this should not to be confused with the real living wage, which is calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, an independent organisation that campaigns for a living wage based on the actual cost of living.

That voluntary real living wage is £10.75 an hour in London and £9.30 outside the capital.

Find out more about the national minimum wage and about bargaining for the living wage

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University agrees pay for zero-hours staff

UNISON has welcomed a move by City University – part of the University of London – instructing contracting-out firm Sodexo to pay catering staff on zero hours contracts while City’s campuses are closed for the weeks they would normally have expected to work.

The pay will be backdated to when the staff were laid off on 17 March and will be calculated on average weekly pay this term up until then.

The UNISON branch had pushed for the move with an open letter and public pressure.

Branch secretary Daniel Shannon-Hughes said: “It removes a big worry for the most precarious workers at our university. We expect a response from City on pay for staff with contracted hours later this week.”

COVID19: UNISON advice for higher education staff

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COVID-19 housing help ‘doesn’t go far enough,’ says UNISON

Government’s measures to postpone evictions for three months and support vulnerable homeless people during the COVID-19 crisis are a step in the right direction, says UNISON, but they do not go far enough.

The union says that the measures will not stop evictions, while there will not be enough homes to support homeless people unless the government steps in with further action and support.

UNISON is backing the Homes for All campaign group’s call for stronger measures to ensure no one is left on the street homeless, and that no-one loses their home due to the pandemic.

Their proposals include:

• immediately open up hotels and other empty buildings to house all those who are homeless;
• ensure that no evictions or repossession actions take place during the crisis;
• suspend rent and mortgage liability for anyone whose income is cut due to the virus;
• scrap the five-week wait for universal credit/housing benefit and suspend all benefit sanctions;
• provide funding to build 100,000 council homes a year at social rent with secure tenancies to tackle overcrowding, unsuitable housing and unaffordable homes.

UNISON is affiliated to the Homes for All campaign group, which is an alliance of housing campaigners, trade unions, tenants, residents and community groups.

Find out more at www.axethehousingact.org.uk/

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Promises of protective equipment alone won’t keep people safe, says UNISON

Promises of personal protective equipment (PPE) alone won’t keep NHS, care, police and other essential workers safe, says UNISON today (Tuesday) as the union urges the Prime Minister to ensure all staff get the protection they need.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis has written to Boris Johnson demanding he takes action to ensure all hospitals, care homes, police forces and council services have the sanitiser, gowns, masks and gloves needed to keep staff safe.

While supplies of PPE have clearly got through to parts of the UK’s public services, UNISON is concerned there are still many workers who have little or no PPE at all.

Demanding an urgent call with the Prime Minister, Dave Prentis says in the letter: “Public service workers are particularly affected as they seek to keep the country running, ensure our loved ones are cared for and our communities are clean and safe.

“As you have repeatedly said, the value of public service workers has never been clearer. UNISON is demanding you provide them with protection, as they seek to protect us all.

“Public service employees are still in their workplaces because they need and want to be. But their selfless acts must not place them ​at risk.

“Too many feel like they’ve been forgotten – their safety ​a mere afterthought, despite the critical work they continue to do.

“Many promises have been made by your government, but promises don’t protect people. Every public service worker without adequate PPE is a potential spreader of this deadly virus, or even a ​future patient.

“Every public service worker who catches the virus is another vital cog removed from the machinery of a society already struggling to cope.

“UNISON will ​continue to work with you to tackle this unprecedented crisis and ensure public service employees can continue to work safely.

“But we can only do this if all public service workers can be assured they’re not ​putting themselves, their family members or those they care for and support at risk through a lack of necessary protective equipment.”

UNISON is setting up a hotline to allow public service workers to share their concerns about PPE, so the critical issues can be raised with ministers.

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk

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