Public Service NetworksPublic service
networks are an innovative idea designed to improve service delivery in many specialisms
by using Scottish-wide resources to deliver local solutions. They would aim to
ensure that services that require expertise that might not be regularly available
at a local level can be delivered across Scotland. They involve specialists liaising
across authority boundaries to pool expertise, support and indeed services directly
to be delivered where and when required. They will have many advantages,
including: - avoiding the iniquity of the ‘postcode' determining
the level of services to provide better services to users across Scotland,
- operating
more quickly and effectively than reorganisations or boundary changes,
- taking
advantage of economies of scale and information technology,
- cross boundary
trading and supplying services across the whole of Scotland from local centres
of excellence, and
- most importantly, retaining the public service ethos in
delivering public services across sectors.
top Lifelong
LearningLearning partnerships have been more of a success story. Government
funding for workplace based projects has shown steps in the right direction. The
welcome awards of trade union learning funds to encourage the take-up of lifelong
learning in many industries and the promotion of skills training in new technology
are useful. UNISON Scotland is itself currently involved in a partnership
funded through the Executive with the Workers Education Association: Learning
@ Work However more needs to be done, both in ensuring that those who need such
opportunities get them, and in ensuring that there are trainers and institutions
available to provide the necessary resources. Almost all those who have
been on a lifelong learning training sing its praises, but there are many more
who can't get a place. Education and training should be available to staff at
all levels across our public services, to equip them to move into higher skilled
jobs within public services. It is also clear that we should target new learning
opportunities to areas with poor records of employment and social inclusion. We
are concerned at the decrease in the Budget for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.
We believe that the Executive should devote adequate resources to training and
development within the life long learning agenda to support workers in all sectors. We
need to increase substantially the availability of training and of trainers. It
would be particularly useful if this work was done in a joined-up way, continuing
and expanding the work done with Schools, FE Colleges and HE institutions and
involving the Careers Service, employers and trade unions. top EqualitiesUNISON
recognises that equality legislation is a reserved matter. But there is much a
Scottish Parliament has been able to do. The introduction of the Equality Strategy
was an innovative and radical initiative for which the Executive and Parliament
deserve congratulations. UNISON will use the strategy to work with and put pressure
on employers to implement improved equal rights in the workplace. In addition
we welcome the establishment of the Older People's Unit in the Scottish Executive.
This has already had some success in giving older people a pathway to express
views to the Government and a method of galvanising and clarifying demands. UNISON
welcomes the Executive's commitment to Close the Gap on equal pay. We will be
calling on employers to undertake pay audits to identify inequalities in pay structures
and hope that employers will work in partnership with us. We call for a
clear commitment to tackle domestic abuse. The Scottish Executive's Preventing
Violence against Women and the National Domestic Abuse Strategy contain much good
policy, but it must be recognised that the need for funding and training continues
in order that good policies can be properly implemented. UNISON has, to
date, been impressed with the consultation and discussion on access to public
transport for disabled people. Meetings and discussion have proved useful and
positive and we hope to continue to have an input to the process, particularly
through the Mobility and Access Committee (Scotland).
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Hamid Rasheed, UNISON Member working for Dundee City Council. "We
welcome the Executive's campaign to counter racism in Scotland, and would like
to see the campaign covering all the sectors for which the Executive is directly
responsible. Equality must be a key element in all policy areas. The threat
of racist parties to use these elections, to peddle their poison can only increase
the problem. UNISON will strongly campaign to challenge them." | The
need for the Scottish Executive to tackle racism in Scotland has been sadly underlined
by the attacks on asylum-seekers and on faith communities. The rise of racist
groups like the BNP in the political process in England and their threat to use
the Scottish Parliament elections to spread their racist hate also threaten to
increase the problem. UNISON welcomes the report of the Race Equality Advisory
Forum and encourages the Scottish Executive to adopt the plans it has proposed.
We welcome the Executive's campaign to counter racism in Scotland but call for
it to be expanded in all its areas of responsibility and in particular to raise
the issue in mainstream policy areas, including in rural areas where racism has
traditionally been ignored. The abolition of the pernicious and discriminatory
Clause 2a was an act of which our Scottish Parliament can be proud. Likewise the
incorporation of the Human Rights Act into Scottish legislation, the establishment
of an Equalities unit, and the stated aim of equality proofing Scottish legislation
have set a high standard. Now that the framework to promote equalities has
been put in place, the principles underlying them must still be promoted. top Social
InclusionMany of the improvements above have been driven by government
commitments to social inclusion and for social justice. It is clear that these
commitments can and will only be delivered by public services (public, not-for-profit
and voluntary sector). It is also clear that unless resources are directed into
ensuring the ability of mainstream services to deliver the services that social
inclusion demands, then the effectiveness of any improvements will always be at
risk. We want the government to recognise the central and crucial position
played by our public services in delivering a fairer and more just society, and
provide the resources to enable this. top 21
Century GovernmentThe use of new technology in the delivery of service
is also an area that the Government has started to address. However, there appears
to be a failure to recognise the resources required at the ground level. If
the aim of ensuring the widest possible delivery of services using information
technology is to be successful, what will be required is increasing and targeted
training for staff whose job it will be to deliver the services, and increasingly
innovative methods of delivery. Installation of terminals in local government
offices, libraries, community education centres, schools - even in shopping centres,
supermarkets, post offices etc - should be increased. However for this to be successful,
the community buildings and the front-line staff who deliver services, must be
there. The reduction in the number of public facilities must stop and the decline
in opening hours must be reversed. We must also recognise that people will continue
to want to speak to people directly as well as using terminals, and retain face-to-face
contact staff. If people cannot get to grips with new technology, it will only
ever be used by those who are educated and affluent enough to have their own hardware. An
illustration where UNISON is active in this area is in Scotland's booming call-centre
provision, although the rise in this industry is now levelling off. Some centres
have fair and reasonable employment practices whilst some are still mired in nineteenth
century attitudes. The UNISONScotland Call Centre Charter outlines six key principles
to raise standards in Scotland's call centres - fair pay, good work-life balance,
positive job-design, union recognition, proper training and a pro-active safety
structure. We need to promote this type of high-quality employment standard throughout
the area of information technology, to ensure that Scotland establishes a position
of quality work and quality service. top HealthcareUNISONScotland
remains committed to the principle of a National Health Service providing universal
care free at the point of use. We want to see the National Health Service in Scotland
truly reflecting that principle. UNISON welcomes the increasing trend for
NHS staff to be brought back in-house as both a recognition that this is a more
effective way to deliver a proper service, and a commitment to valuing all the
members of the healthcare team. We also welcome the increasing investment
in Scotland's health services and in particular the increased focus in preventative
work and health promotion. However we think that more needs to be done to address
the underlying causes of ill-health and to address the problems that affect service
delivery. In particular, new funds should be directed to providing front
line services rather than being funnelled into the pockets of shareholders via
expensive new PFI projects. We welcome the STUC/Scottish Executive protocol on
staffing and would urge health boards and trusts to start to make this retrospectively
effective on existing PPP/PFI contracts. Public funding of new projects would
provide more flexibility in service delivery. It is not helpful to service delivery
for staff doing the same jobs to be employed by separate employers and on different
sets of conditions. Ring fencing of PFI payments will mean that any future cuts
in funding will have to be carried disproportionately by other parts of the Service. In
addition partnership working in the NHS, whilst not always delivering the aims
sought for it, is a welcome commitment to the healthcare team. UNISON would urge
the clear adoption of the principles of partnership working across the NHSiS and
beyond. UNISON thinks that it is vital also to tackle the issue of recruitment
and retention of staff. Skill shortages, especially amongst front line staff are
threatening service delivery. We must address the shortage of training opportunities
for clinical staff. This should be done in the long term by increasing training
opportunities and tackling the low pay endemic in the NHS. Funded education and
training should also be available to staff at all levels in the health service
to equip them to move into higher skilled jobs.
 |
Anne McGinley, UNISON member and Health Visitor, Greater Glasgow Primary
Care Health Trust "Increasing investment for the NHS should go to front-line
services, not into shareholders pockets. We must address shortages amongst clinical
staff with better pay and training if we are to improve services. In particular
we need to offer incentives to bring staff back into the NHS, and remove barriers
that keep them out, like having to fund their own training, and non-family-friendly
working." | In the short term we should be offering incentives
to non-practising clinical staff to return to the NHS and eliminate the barrier
that forces health workers to pay for their own refresher courses and work unpaid
when they return to healthcare. We welcome the decision to deliver free
personal care to Scotland's elderly. However it is clear that this initiative
is under-resourced and is heavily reliant on the traditionally poorly funded care
sector. We must back up public statements of support for community-based health
care with the financial resources. Terms and conditions for voluntary-sector staff
are lagging behind their role and responsibilities and resources are often project
based, time limited and insecure. The Scottish Government must ensure that proper
funding is available both to resource community-based services and to ensure good
employment practice. This should also apply to community-based mental health
projects in order both to improve accessibility to these services and to increase
local educational work combating the myths and stereotypes affecting people suffering
from mental illness. UNISON supports the steps so far taken by the Scottish
Government to cut the number of Trusts, and its work to eliminate the internal
market in the Health Service. It is time now however for the next step - the removal
of the remaining Trusts, clear away the remnants of the failed internal market
and create fair and representative Health Boards to run our NHSiS. In order
to increase the effectiveness of healthcare provision and to stop the unfairness
of ‘postcode prescribing' there should be greater use of public service networks
in clinical specialisms, such as cancer, coronary care etc. This would both provide
economies of scale and allow better service delivery to the individual patient
- wherever in Scotland they live. top Joint
FutureUNISON recognises the need for the various agencies of care to be
more co-ordinated in the delivery of their services. We support ideas of crosscutting
service provision and one-stop shops for increased accessibility. However, the
traditionally poorly funded nature of such services and the drive towards specific
forms of delivery threaten to derail that potential. In order to be successful,
these plans must: - Be properly resourced - ensuring that the
services that are needed are available when people want to access them
- Not
dilute the democratic accountability and control of peoples' services
- Ensure
that the staff working in these areas from different agencies and employers are
secure in their employment and that there is not a two- (or three!) tier workforce
- Ensure these projects aim to improve and co-ordinate service delivery, and
are not used as an excuse to cut services and
- Ensure that services continue
to utilise fully qualified and trained staff and not dilute staff professionalism.
 |
Michelle Brankin, UNISON member and Home Care Supervisor, South Lanarkshire
Council. "We cannot allow underfunding to derail the potential benefits
of co-ordinated care via the Joint Future Strategy. Services must be properly
resourced, and be provided by appropriately qualified staff who are secure in
their employment. The new arrangements must improve and not cut service delivery." |
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Scotland's
public service union 
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