Reflecting on the Lawrence Review – actions and recommendations for branches

UNISON South East outlines a series of recommendations and actions that branches can take to challenge inequality for Black members at work as we navigate through the pandemic

Game changing innovations in PPE at Southampton General

We hear from Rebecca Storer, a Health Care Assistant (HCA) and UNISON member at University Hospital Southampton, on what it’s been like working through the Covid-19 crisis, and how the crisis has led to innovations in PPE.   I’ve worked as an HCA in the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) at University Hospital Southampton for almost two years. We look after patients arriving from the Emergency […]

“If we can pull together, I believe we can come through this troubled time”

Jenny Ford, Branch Secretary at Portsmouth Health, has seen rapid changes in the hospitals in Solent NHS Trust. As Facilities manager for St James’ Hospital (a mental health hospital) and St Mary’s (a community hospital), Jenny divides her time between the two sites. Jenny spoke to us about the challenges her team have faced responding […]

New PPE guidance for NHS teams

Updated rules reflect changing threat The UK Government and NHS leaders from a range of medical and nursing royal colleges have published new guidance about personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS teams who are likely to come into contact with patients with coronavirus. The guidance has been agreed by the four Chief Medical Officers, Chief […]

‘Managers are bringing tea to us’: inside the 111 service during COVID-19

UNISON member and rep Stella Quentin is a 111 call handler for the South East Coast ambulance service. In normal times, the 300 call handlers in Stella’s office take around two to three thousand calls a day. The severity of calls ranges from sore throats and coughs to people who have taken drug overdoses. A […]