NHS staff ​across the East of England urge the chancellor to do the right thing and fund a pay rise

NHS workers ​in the East of England have asked the chancellor to recognise the work they’ve done to protect lives and fund a decent pay rise in tomorrow’s Budget, says UNISON today. More than 60,000 health care assistants, porters, operating theatre staff, nurses, caterers, ambulance staff, cleaners and members of the public across the UK […]

Tom Hunt’s snub a ‘slap in the face’ for pandemic heroes

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt’s refusal to meet his constituents to discuss public-sector pay is a slap in the face for the heroes who are getting us through the pandemic, say unions. The Conservative MP turned down an invitation from the Ipswich and District Trades Union Council to explain the economic and moral case for a […]

Behind the grim death count are thousands more barely able to keep going

Tim Roberts considers the NHS staff left dealing with the fallout from 100,000 Covid deaths in his latest blog

A​n early wage rise for health workers in the east of England would improve morale

A £2,000 pay rise for all NHS workers across Eastern England would boost morale amid unrelenting pandemic pressures, says UNISON today. The union is calling ​on the government ​to deliver an early and significant wage increase ​– of at least £2,000 ​– to show staff are valued as they face unprecedented hospital admissions. ​A recent […]

Pay rise immediately would reassure undervalued staff to stay in NHS

A huge majority of NHS staff say the government doesn’t value their extraordinary efforts ​during the pandemic, according to a UNISON survey​ published today. As health workers come under increasing strain because of the​ rise in infections and hospital admissions,​ many say they are considering their future in the NHS, the survey finds. Read report More than 10,000 health service […]

Swift action needed to stop Essex major incident spiralling out of control

Local authorities in Essex declared a “major incident” today as the number of coronavirus cases threatens to overwhelm health services in the county. Hospitals are struggling with “significant growing demand,” says the Essex Resilience Forum, a body drawing together NHS, emergency services and local authorities. The announcement has been made in response to a “significant […]

Strike a pose – pictures of Peterborough’s unions in the ’80s

For all the changes we’ve been through since the ’80s our NHS workers remain as committed as ever – and the Tories remain committed to holding back their pay. Paramedic Chris Porsz worked through the changes and, thanks to a passion for photography, was on hand to capture some of the changes. He’s just retired […]

Help green the NHS

UNISON is calling on members in the NHS to help plan how the health service in England can reach net zero carbon emissions as part of the fight to tackle climate change. In October, the NHS in England published its NHS Net Zero interim report, which looks at how the NHS will reach that position, […]

Local MPs support £2K pay rise for NHS staff

Eastern region MPs are supporting a £2,000 pay rise for NHS staff. UNISON is campaigning for an early rise for health workers who have given their all during the Covid-19 pandemic and members have written to their MPs asking for support. Cambridge’s Daniel Zeichner backed the campaign. “I support calls for the government to make […]

It takes a whole team to run the NHS

When most people think of the NHS they normally picture doctors and nurses, but it takes a whole team to keep our health service ticking over. Porters, cleaners, admin staff and many, many more all play an absolutely vital role in the NHS. That’s why we celebrate One Team Day on 25 November. Normally this […]

Hinchingbrooke Hospital staff remain in house

An agreement has been reached by North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust and the recognised trade unions Unite and UNISON on the next steps of a project to tender for facilities management services at its hospital sites. While the trust will continue to run the tender process for services currently provided by external contractors, it […]

Health workers in the East of England urge local MPs to back early pay rise for exhausted staff and to protect the NHS  

Hundreds of health staff across the East of England – including nurses, paramedics, cleaners, domestics and porters – are writing to the region’s 58 MPs asking them to back UNISON’s call for NHS staff to get an early pay rise in time for Christmas. Staff employed in hospitals, clinics and ambulance stations are urging local […]

CQC report must hammer home the message things need to improve at East of England Ambulance Service

A damning Care Quality Commission report released today recommends that the East of England Ambulance Service Trust be placed in special measures. It uncovered a litany of complaints against senior leadership, accusing Trust managers of fostering bullying and abuse. UNISON Eastern regional organiser Sam Older said: “UNISON has been consistently raising issues around the culture […]

New report exposes wrongheadedness of outsourcing at North West Anglia NHS

A new report rips apart North West Anglia NHS NHS Trust’s plans to outsource catering and other services at Hinchingbrooke and makes the case to bring all facilities services back in house across the employer. Author John Lister launched From Outstanding to Average? at an online public meeting. Watch the meeting The report takes apart […]

‘It feels like everything has changed apart from us’

We talk to paramedic Trish Tippett about being the face of UNISON’s No Going Back to Normal campaign