Plans to outsource Somerset’s learning disability service (LDS) to the national company Dimensions are to come under fire this Wednesday (1 March 2017) at a county council scrutiny committee. Councillors on the committee will examine the case put forward by the cabinet to see whether Dimensions’ plan aligns with the service that staff and service […]
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Healthcare staff will this Tuesday (28 February 2017) be out campaigning in central Plymouth with their union, UNISON, over the dire state of health and social care funding in Devon. The event is one of a series organised to raise awareness of the increasingly difficult nature of work in health and social care services as funding […]
Plymouth in UNISON branch full-time rep Kevin Treweeks reflects on his nomination for a Get Active award It should have been ME! I’ve been to quite a few South West activists awards nights over the last few years so it was a strange feeling to be a nominee this year. I had a great speech […]
Staff and service users of Somerset’s learning disability service (LDS) will this Wednesday (15.02.17) attend the county council meeting to pressure their representatives to stick to promises made over the transfer of the LDS to Dimensions. Cabinet members previously assured stakeholders that sustainable, quality care was the driver of any handover, not cost-cutting. But plans have […]
Commenting on today’s Ofsted report which rated South Gloucestershire council’s services for children as “inadequate”, and highlighted poor performance among senior management and political leadership, UNISON South Glos branch secretary Andrew Went said: “It’s time for a proper inquiry into how children’s services have been allowed to slide downhill, putting vulnerable people at risk. Questions […]
A campaign for fair wages and affordable homes won UNISON’s Young Member Award for Bristol Apprentice Kath Pittman. Kath produced an advice pamphlet, Support with Housing and Pay. UNISON SW Young Members are campaigning for a real living wage and affordable homes. With house prices in Bristol rising faster than anywhere else in the UK […]
Commenting on the publication of Steve Bundred’s report in Bristol city council’s financial mismanagement, UNISON Bristol branch secretary Steve Crawshaw said: “Any report should be welcomed that aids delivering the high quality public services that Bristolians deserve. UNISON called for an investigation on these lines in August 2016. “The Mayor is right to take a hard look at poor […]
Staff and service users of Somerset’s learning disability service have reacted with dismay to the Tory council’s decision to hand it over to a national company with plans to cut jobs and quality. Dimensions, the company who ended up as the only bidder in the county council’s contracting process, is proposing to make staff […]
In April, Learning Disabilities services in Somerset are set to be handed over from Somerset County Council (SCC) to a new Somerset Social Enterprise. UNISON is concerned that this is a money-saving exercise which will shift the focus away from care and onto cost. Martyn Krajniewski is a Support Leader at Colliers Court, Frome and […]
Commenting on the £64m cuts proposals published today by Bristol city council, UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “There is no escaping the impact these proposals will have on public services in the city. Despite efforts to take the edge off, that means fewer residents receiving the support, care and amenities that we need our council to […]
Commenting on plans finalised today to shut ten of Swindon’s fifteen libraries and reduce the opening hours of the remaining buildings, UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “With only five libraries left, Swindon will lose the expertise and experience of staff, and the service will be harder to access for older people or […]
A plan to let the government off the hook, not to fix our NHS Commenting on the Dorset sustainability and transformation plans, UNISON South West head of health Helen Eccles said: “Yet another set of NHS plans have been published that put health services at risk through over-promising and under-funding.” “The NHS undoubtedly needs to […]
Bold plans, but where is the money? UNISON statement on Cornwall STP Commenting on Sustainability and Transformation Plans released by Cornwall health employers today, UNISON South West head of health Helen Eccles said: “There is a real urgency to deal with the problems facing our NHS; on current forecasts the deficit in Cornwall will to rise to […]
Three Dorset schools have won prizes in the annual “stars in our schools” awards to celebrate the achievements of their support staff. Support staff in schools across the county created pieces of art to represent the contribution they and their colleagues made to students’ education. Officers from their trade union, UNISON, then delivered hampers of […]
